Raffles Education expands to Malaysian international school market

The Raffles Americal School located at EduCity@Iskandar is a marked departure from the company's traditional higher education roots.

Raffles American School (RAS) will offer an American pre-K-12 curriculum program, with Advanced Placement Offerings in the high school, which will provide a viable schooling alternative to the local and expatriate communities in the region. 

"The formation of RAS marks a significant milestone for Raffles Education Corp who has historically been a higher education provider with 33 colleges in 30 cities across 13 countries," Raffles Education said in a release.

“RAS marks the Group’s expansion into the international school business and is yet another high point for the Group as we address the education needs of children below 19 years of age in the region," said Mr Chew Hua Seng, Chairman and CEO of RafflesEducationCorp. "With our experience as a tertiary education provider, we are confident that the Group and RAS will contribute significantly to the development of the education sector in the region."

Raffles Education said RAS is collaborating with International Schools Services, New Jersey, USA (“ISS”), which it said is "an established global company that has advanced the quality of international education for children across the world with its curriculum development, school management, supply sourcing, and recruitment."

RAS is open for grades 1 through 8 in a temporary location in the Anjung Neighborhood Center in Nusajaya, Iskandar. Raffles American School’s permanent site, designed by the New York Architectural firm of SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP), is targeted for phase 1 completion for Kindergarten through Grade 12, including full boarding capacity in the 2014-2015 school year.

In explaining the viability of the location, Raffles Education said RAS will be established in Nusajaya, the growing Iskandar Development Region in Johor, Malaysia. "The mission of the school includes preparing students for admission to top U.S. and Western Universities and will be accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, USA (WASC)