BREAKING GROUND: As the guest-of-honour, Dato’ Dr Zambry led the groundbreaking ceremony for UCSI Education Group’s new campuses in EduCity Seri Iskandar, Perak.

HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM: Dato’ Dr Zambry touring the faculty booths and trying out the food prepared by the Faculty of Hospitality & Tourism Management.

PERAK: UCSI Education Group (UCSI) marked its major entry into the Perak education scene with a groundbreaking ceremony for a new UCSI University campus, a UCSI International School and a branch of its Le Quadri boutique hotel. 

These will be built in one of Perak’s most ambitious initiatives, EduCity Seri Iskandar, that boasts a gross development value of RM2 billion and covers an area of over 300 acres. Coming in as the anchor brand for this education township underscores UCSI’s commitment to supporting Perak’s aim of becoming a leading education hub in Malaysia and subsequently provide its people world-class education. 

This commitment is acknowledged by Y.A.B Dato’ Seri Diraja Dr Zambry B Abd. Kadir, the Chief Minister of Perak, who officiated the ground-breaking ceremony. 

In his speech, he also pointed out that as one of Malaysia’s first private tertiary education providers; UCSI’s reputation and international experience will play an important role in furthering the state’s education offerings. 

“With much experience with the international community, I’m confident that the presence of UCSI University and UCSI International School will turn Perak into a global schoolhouse,” he said. 

Around 40% of UCSI University’s student population comes from over 80 countries and its international schools are staffed by experienced foreign educators. 

UCSI’s decision to enter the Perak education scene is well in line with its track record of driving transformation projects. Significantly, it leads Education Entry Point Project 10, better known as EPP10, to revamp Malaysia’s tourism and hospitality industry sector through education. UCSI has also been given the mandate by Education EPP 8 to establish a healthcare education cluster in Bandar Springhill, Port Dickson. 

According to UCSI Group founder and chairman Dato’ Peter Ng, UCSI ultimately brings a 28-year track record of excellence to the EduCity Seri Iskandar. 

“And time has taught me that any project with the size of EduCity Seri Iskandar must be approached with the understanding that quality education is not a given, but a mission,” he said. 

UCSI’s entry into EduCity Seri Iskandar will see it build its fifth university campus in Malaysia. The campus aims to offer programmes from the Faculty of Hospitality & Tourism Management, Faculty of Social Sciences & Liberal Arts, Faculty of Business & Information Science, and the Centre for Pre-U Studies. 

The University’s presence at the EduCity is complemented by the international school. First established in Springhill, Negeri Sembilan, and Subang Jaya, UCSI International Schools are swiftly making a name for themselves. The first international school in Springhill was recently conferred IB World School status by the International Baccalaureate. 

To cater to the business crowd, UCSI will also establish Le Quadri, its boutique hotel brand, at the EduCity. With state-of-the-art conference facilities, it aims to make meaningful contributions in Bandar Seri Iskandar. 

The EduCity Seri Iskandar is developed in partnership with Jumbo Straits Sdn Bhd. This public private partnership was described by Dato’ Dr Zambry as “…as [an] integral engine[s] of growth in today’s modern economy.”