EduCity, your pathway to excellence
WHEN it comes to educational excellence in the country, EduCity is undoubtedly the up and coming destination where students can find the best of universities and institutions from across the globe – all under one roof.
EduCity, a one-of-its-kind broad multi-campus community, houses some of the top performing faculties from premium tertiary education establishments.
Situated in Iskandar Malaysia, Johor, and only less than 30 minutes away to Singapore via the Tuas Second Link, EduCity is a fully integrated education hub for glob- ally recognised institutions to run their best programmes in Malaysia.
It is the place to be for world-class tertiary education at a lower cost if one were to study in the United Kingdom, for example.
Among the top educational establishments in EduCity is University of Reading Malaysia, famed for its degrees in real estate and quantity surveying and also its Henley Business School, one of the oldest and most respected business schools in Europe.
There is also University of Southampton Malaysia Campus, which is wellknown for its engineering programmes in the UK.
Newcastle University, ranked among top British universities for its medical programmes, offers Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) and Biomedical Sciences in EduCity via its campus, Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia.
Other institutions include Raffles University Iskandar, Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS), Multimedia University (MMU) and the Netherlands Maritime Institute of Technology.
Also within EduCity are Marlborough College Malaysia, a premier UK boarding school and Raffles American School, which focuses on American curriculum.
“Our vision is to be an international learning hub driving socio-economic development for Iskandar Malaysia through knowledge and bridging the skills demand gap across industries.
“As the first multi-varsity campus in Asia, EduCity is the choice destination for education and it contributes to the nation’s aspirations to become a regional hub for education.
“The various faculties in EduCity do not compete with each other but co-exist in this dynamic ecosystem,” said EduCity managing director Joanne Jacinta Oei (pic), adding that EduCity also plays a role as a talent feeder for Iskandar Malaysia’s robust economic sectors.
By retaining the local and international talents here, the graduates will be the backbone of many robust businesses operating in the region.
EduCity is a catalyst development driven by Iskandar Investment Berhad via its wholly owned subsidiary EduCity Iskandar Malaysia Sdn Bhd.
Spanning across some 123ha, there are currently more than 4,000 students in EduCity,
comprising a majority of Malaysian students.
There are also students from Indonesia, the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, the United Arab Emirates, France, Bangladesh, Egypt and Austria.
EduCity’s mission is to provide high standard shared facilities and to attract globally recognised institutions. It also aims to create good student experiences and develop a brand that is globally renowned.
Oei also revealed that EduCity is in communication with other institutions who wanted to operate there.
“We’re looking at new schools and there’re so many people knocking on our doors but we want to make sure that we bring in only among the top schools, schools that fit into our ecosystem.
“We are also planning to fill in the vocational skills gap in the ecosystem of our education itself,” she said.
EduCity chief operating officer K. Sugumaran said among future plans in EduCity are to bring in programmes such as early childhood education, hospitality and hotel management.
While the respective universities and institutions would have their own facilities such as libraries and cafés, EduCity provides additional facilities such as the Sports Complex, the Student Village and a Multi-Varsity Centre, all of which can be utilised by all the students in EduCity.
The main stadium at the sports complex is a 6,000-seater with a football field and a 400m running track.
Its aquatic centre features an Olympic-sized swimming pool with 500 seats while its indoor arena, a 1,500-seater, is ideal for sports such as badminton and basketball.
It is also equally ideal for exhibitions, conferences and dinners.
Among other facilities are a gymnasium, courts for futsal, tennis, volleyball and netball as well as a section where students can practise mixed martial arts.
Students can sign up for memberships at the sports complex or pay-as-you-go. Log on to www.educitysport.com to check out the rates.
The sports complex is also open to the public.
At the Student Village, the choices range from single to five- sharing hostels and single apartments for four person up to three-room apartments for up to 10 person, all complete with fitting and furnishing.
The monthly rental rates are from RM450 to RM889 per person.
Other common or shared facilities include a basketball court, a 24-hour self service laundrette, a café, an open lounge, a recreational room and prayer rooms.
There are also shuttle services at the Student Village to bring students to the nearby shopping malls and places of interest in Johor.
Currently, there are also some new and enhancement works being carried out in EduCity.
Oei said rooms at the Student Village are being refurbished in stages to incorporate fitted furniture and new features.
The mezzanine floor is also being redesigned to turn it into a student recreation area.
“All these will be done in stages so that there is no disturbance to students.
“I’m also excited to announce that we are planning a new gymnasium and a brand new studio for Zumba and yoga at the Sports Complex.
“Plans are also in store for the development and construction of a new building that will be the focal point of students in EduCity. We are looking to house the student union there as well as some retail and F&B providers,” said Oei.
She added that the construction of a covered walkway linking all institutions to the shared facilities were also in the pipeline for the convenience of the students and to encourage a healthy lifestyle.
As far as security and control in the campus are concerned, it is not something that EduCity takes lightly.
With an expenditure of close to RM1mil per annum, Sugumaran said it is of prime importance to ensure the safety of the students on campus round the clock.
EduCity is a fully integrated education hub recognised as an Entry Point Project (EPP) under the National Key Economic Area (NKEA), which will play an integral part in the success of Malaysia’s Economic Transformation Programme.
We hope to bring in programmes such as early childhood education, hospitality and hotel management in the future. K. Sugumaran