KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Matrix Global Education, an education service provider in Malaysia, is betting big on opportunities brought by the Belt and Road Initiative in the education sector.
After tying up with Shanghai Zhangjiang Specialized College to provide an 18-month preparatory program for students from China in 2016, it entered into an education collaboration agreement with Hengshui Yizhong, a company incorporated in Malaysia and affiliated with Hengshui No.1 High School in north China's Hebei Province.
Lee Thian Hock, chief executive officer and managing director of Matrix Concepts, the parent company of Matrix Global Education, told Xinhua in an email that he sees vast potential in the initiative in many areas, including in the education sector.
Should the latest collaboration with Hengshui Yizhong materialize as planned, Lee expects additional enrolments of around 200 students each year over the next few years with students from Hengshui Yizhong eventually accounting to more than 1,000 in the education group.
The first batch of 200 students, he said, is expected to arrive in March next year, which will immediately grow the group's enrolled students by 25 percent.
"We foresee strong potential in this partnership as Hengshui Yizhong has more than 300,000 registered students in China," Lee said, adding that the management will constantly review the progress of this collaboration and input of stakeholders especially teachers, students, parents as a guide for further strategic undertakings.
It is also noted that Hengshui Yizhong has agreed to build its own hostel on a one-acre land within the school's compound which it has purchased.
On the competition in attracting Chinese students among the region, Lee said students from China have often found familiarity in terms of their culture and languages in Malaysia.
"We look forward to more fruitful collaborations with other prominent education institutions, both foreign and local," Lee said.
