sharen@nstp.com.my
Published in NST on July 19 2011
Britain's University of Reading Business School is setting up a branch campus in EduCity in Iskandar Malaysia, Johor, for between RM150 million and RM200 million, sources familiar with the plan say.
This would make it the third education group from the UK to set up branches in Iskandar Malaysia, highlighting their confidence in growth in Asian markets.
To be known as University of Reading Iskandar, construction is due to start next year, said a source.
It is learnt that Education@Iskandar Sdn Bhd, a unit of Iskandar Investment Bhd (IIB), is expected to sign a partnership agreement with Reading Business School soon.
EduCity is the education hub of Iskandar Malaysia, comprising world-class multi-university campuses, international schools and colleges, as well as recreational facilities and accommodation for over 20,000 students.
Demand from foreign universities has been so strong that the allocated land for EduCity is fully occupied. But IIB has said it would provide more land for EduCity.
The others that have committed are Marlborough College, one of the UK's leading independent co-educational boarding schools, and Newcastle University Medical Malaysia (NUMed), which is being built for RM90 million and due for opening this year.
IIB did not respond to questions sent by Business Times.
Set up in 2001 and located in England, Reading Business School is the centre of the world's business research and teaching.
The global institution had said in April it is investigating the prospects to set up a branch campus in Malaysia.
This was after a discussion with Datuk Zakaria Sulong, the High Commissioner of Malaysia to the UK, and leading regional business representatives on the investment potential in Malaysia.
Talks were centred on investments in Malaysia and how students and graduates of Reading Business School will have good chance for work placements.
Besides Marlborough College and NUMed, the hub consists of the Netherlands' Dutch Maritime University, the RM300 million Management Development Institute of Singapore, and the S$82 million (RM203 million) Raffles University Iskandar by Singapore's Raffles Education Group.
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