NUSAJAYA: Construction has started on Johor’s biggest private education campus by the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS) at EduCity here.
The project, known as MDIS Malaysia, is being developed on a 12.1ha site.
The contract for the construction of Phase 1, costing RM178.8 million, was awarded to Tee M&E Engineering Sdn Bhd.
MDIS secretary-general Dr R. Theyvendran said Phase 1, which would be ready by May 2016, would see the construction of a five-storey main building, six-storey administrative building, two-storey multi-purpose hall, two blocks of 12-storey student hostel, covered linkways and other ancillary buildings.
Some 250 Malaysian engineers and skilled workers have been deployed on site.
The contract for Phase 2, which includes the construction of four additional student hostels and two blocks of academic blocks, has not been awarded yet. Construction is scheduled for June 2016.
Theyvendran said the campus had been designed with green features for comfort and energy efficiency. It will be among the first eco-friendly campuses with hostel facilities in Iskandar Malaysia.
The MDIS Malaysia campus, which will developed in three phases over 10 years at a total cost of RM350 million, will be five times bigger than the MDIS main campus in Singapore.
“Phase 1 will see an initial intake of 2,000 students. When fully developed by 2023, it will have the capacity to accommodate over 10,000 students,” said Theyvendran.
“We will offer state-of-the-art educational training facilities as well as entertainment and recreational facilities. We will ensure students on our campus have access to a holistic education.”
Meanwhile, MDIS Malaysia has started operations from its temporary campus on the 17th floor of City Square here.
This is its first foray into Malaysia and second overseas investment after its campus in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, which offers tertiary education to students from the Central Asia region. By Rizalman Hammim