City of knowledge
MANY of the world’s greatest cities were founded on visionary foresight, and thrive on the virtues of its human capital. EduCity in the rapidly developing Iskandar Malaysia region of Johor, is certainly one shining example.
The first of its kind in Asia, it brings together prestigious local and international institutions of higher learning, student accommodations and recreational facilities in one dynamic 300-acre enclave in the Iskandar Puteri sub-district.
Developed by EduCity Iskandar Malaysia Sdn Bhd — a member of the Iskandar Investment Bhd Group of Companies — it costs around RM850mil and is one of the region’s catalytic developments.
EduCity managing director Joanne Oei said it was envisioned as a novel ‘multi-institution campus’ strategically-located at the heart of Southeast Asia.
Perhaps the biggest concentration of academic excellence in one location, this ‘City of Knowledge’ would not only groom the future leaders of Malaysia, but also the world’s.
“Alongside other catalytic projects like Legoland, EduCity will help spur the region’s economy.
“Because attracting the world’s top talents to work here would be a short-sighted endeavour if they do not have the best schools for the families that join them here,” Oei highlighted.
With that, work kicked off in 2007, and some of the United Kingdom’s most renowned institutions were enticed to set up campuses here.
By 2011, the first of them, Newcastle University Medicine (NUMed) Malaysia, opened its doors.
In 2012, the University of Southampton Malaysia Campus was set up to offer its famous engineering programmes, followed suit by the University of Reading Malaysia (UoRM) with a wide range of programmes in 2015.
In between, the Netherlands Maritime Institute of Technology (NMIT) opened in 2012, next to Malaysia-based Multimedia University’s (MMU) Faculty of Cinematic Arts later in 2014.
By the end of this year, the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS) will welcome students to its spanking new 30-acre multi-faculty complex in EduCity.
Another Singaporean tertiary education provider, Raffles University Iskandar, has also earmarked a sizeable plot of land and is currently in the process of designing their future campus that will focus on design, among others.
Today, the EduCity student population number at about 4,000 continues to grow.
Ultimately, it is expected to be home to up to 20,000 of the brightest young minds from within Malaysia and the region beyond.
EduCity chief operating officer Sugumaran Kailasan observed, “It is poised to be a leading education hub attracting students from all over the world.
“For the longest time, Malaysians have ventured overseas to pursue higher education. Now, it will be the other way round with students from elsewhere coming to us.
“In many cases, their families have moved to Johor too. This can only benefit the property market and overall ecosystem in Iskandar Malaysia.”
Taught by the best
Safe to say there is no other location in Malaysia with a higher concentration of expertise and knowledge than EduCity.
The academics at the respective institutions are all industry leaders with vast experience and actively involved in research.
“The concept was to bring each of the institution’s strongest faculties here, to complement each other and produce skilled graduates that the region’s surrounding industries require today and in years to come.
“We found that engaging with the industries was an important part of the puzzle.
“In doing this, we were able to identify their needs and have greater insight on how to serve the existing job market and its future. All through offering the right courses and skills training at EduCity.
“This approach has been used to great effect in places like Switzerland and Germany, and we believe it will make EduCity sustainable in the long term,” Oei highlighted.
The first cohort of graduates emerged from EduCity in 2015, and to date, around 600 have completed their studies.
Testament to the quality education they receive, many have been employed even before they received their scrolls.
Oei pointed out, “Another key benefit to studying here, is that students obtain the same qualifications these institutions offer in their parent campuses.
“Malaysian students have excellent potential, but some may not have the opportunity to undertake their studies abroad.
“With EduCity, they can now gain the same internationally recognised qualifications from these top universities, without having to leave the country and worry about the volatile foreign exchange rate.”
“The transfer of knowledge from the sizeable number of international academics to their local counterparts would also raise the bar of the Malaysian education system.”
A healthy environment
The age-old notion of ‘all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’ is one the planners took into consideration when designing EduCity.
Hence, much effort was put into providing shared recreational facilities so students have avenues to relax and unwind outside of classes.
It centres around the EduCity Sports Complex — whose components include a 6,000-seat Main Stadium with full-size football pitch and IAAF-certified athletics track, and a 488-seat Aquatic Centre with an eight-lane Olympic-sized swimming pool.
The 1,500-seat Indoor Arena has multi-purpose courts that can be used for basketball, badminton, netball, floorball, futsal and table tennis games.
Complementing this are outdoor courts for tennis and volleyball, and a well-equipped gymnasium where there are personal training sessions and zumba classes.
Many sporting and fitness events have been held at the complex to date. They ranged from swim meets to marathons, rugby tournaments and even intervarsity competitions.
It teems with life in the evenings as students in EduCity, regardless of which institution they are studying in, enjoy a vastly discounted membership rate of only RM675 per year.
This gives them access to all the facilities available at the Sports Complex.
“We recognised that these youngsters need a place to go after classes.
“With the stadium, we can keep them engaged in healthy activities on site,” said Sugumaran.
Oei added, “Student happiness is our priority. Student experience, we have learnt, takes precedence when building an education hub.
“For their experience lends a great deal to their productivity and because of this, we will continue to enhance the facilities.
“This enhancements will take place over the next three to five years. Among other things, we will be expanding the gymnasium and adding rock-climbing facilities at the Sports Complex in the near future.”
Lastly, there is also the Student Village, a 12-storey apartment complex with 800 beds. A convenient accommodation for students from outside of Johor, it is about 70% full at present.
On-site facilities include a cafetaria, launderette, kitchenette, surau, TV room, study areas, lounge area and free WiFi.
To cater to the growth in student numbers, EduCity has in the pipeline, plans to build additional student accommodation.
Some of these plans even include off campus housing offered by developers within the surrounding area.
It is split into male and female-only wings, and has 24-security. Parents can rest assured that their children’s safety is well taken care of. Top notch security is also enforced at the institutions of learning with each having dedicated guarded entry points.
To cater to the growth in student numbers, EduCity has in the pipeline, plans to build additional student accommodation. Some of these plans even include off-campus housing offered by developers within the surrounding areas.
Moving forward, Sugumaran said there is 10% of the overall acreage left in EduCity and they are exploring potential collaborations that will complement what is presently in place.
Also in the vicinity of Iskandar Puteri is Marlborough College Malaysia and Raffles American School, occupying 90 and 45 acres of land respectively.
For more information on EduCity, visit https://www. iskandarinvestment.com.