School Guide

Global education experts in Malaysia chart future of private & international schools in Asia

Published by SchoolAdvisor | Mar 22, 2017

Global education experts gathering at an international conference in Malaysia are giving school owners and investors insights on the future of education in Asia. At the International and Private Schools Education Forum (IPSEF Asia) being held in Kuala Lumpur, Maryanna Abdo, Vice President, Parthenon-EY, shared global trends and best practices as she identified what successful schools have in common, including the creative use of space, a focus on enrichment of experience and experimental learning, the use of the city or locale as a classroom, construction of less space needed and unused space in school environments.

Maryanna Abdo, Vice President, Parthenon-EY

 Having studied innovative school models in over 95 countries, Abdo says successful schools stay competitive through innovation, with a focus on developing 21^st century skills and students having a global outlook. “In an increasingly crowded international schools market across the region and a changing macro-economic and regulatory environment, innovation increasingly plays an important role in staying relevant and competitive,” she added.IPSEF Asia is a leading regional event addressing the private and international schools’ education market in the Asian region, which experts say will experience a growth of 32% in the number of international schools.Given this opportunity, IPSEF Asia also brought together legal experts who shared insights on how to enter the Asian education market. In a panel session moderated by renowned legal firm Clyde & Co. topics discussed included initial steps when expanding into Asia, legal, regulatory and structuring considerations, and dealing with local partners.  Officials from Malaysia’s Ministry of Education were joined by Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority, and the Abu Dhabi Education Council who provided tips on how international school brands can enter the Middle East market, where as many as 50,000 schools are needed to education an expected 12 million students by 2020.“We hope that the high-level of discussions and presentations can provide school owners, administrators and operators the needed tools that will enable them to enhance their current operations and hopefully grow not just within Asia but even beyond such as in the Middle East. We at IPSEF are delighted that we can connect these stakeholders across the education supply chain to not only foster discussion and exchange ideas, but also achieve growth plans in very realistic ways,” said Mark Roelofsen, co-founder IPSEF.