India's Vinayaka Missions University to Set Up Branch Campuses in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, July 16 (Bernama) -- India's Vinayaka Missions University will set up its Malaysian branch campuses through the establishment of the Vinayaka Missions International University College (VMIUC) with a RM530 million (US$167 million) investment over eight years. The multi-disciplinary VMIUC has received licence from the higher education ministry to set up faculties in Johor, Penang and the Klang Valley. "The VMIUC dental college will be established in Pasir Gudang, Johor while the post-graduate medical faculty and distance education directorate will be set up in the Klang Valley. "Pre-university, art and science, business and management, engineering, hospitality and tourism, traditional and complimentary medicine and health sciences faculties will be established in Penang," said VMIUC managing director Dr S. Sharavanan at the university college's inaugration ceremony here Monday. Sharavanan said the Penang and Johor branch campuses would each cost around RM97 million (US$31 million) and the Klang Valley branch about RM240 million (US$76 million) to build. Classes could commence as early as next year beginning with the dental faculty in Johor. "The post-graduate medical faculty will be the first of its kind in Malaysia to be set up by a private institution while the dental college will be the first in Johor. "Another significant development in the VMIUC proposal is the distance education faculty which will offer up to 500 programmes. "This faculty will have the capacity to provide borderless education by using Malaysia as a springboard to provide education to some 50,000 students in South East Asia by 2017," said Sharavanan. -- BERNAMA