KUALA LUMPUR: Singaporean billionaire Peter Lim, one of Johor's biggest financiers, plans to build an international college in the Iskandar area.

Lim is excited about developments in the Johor Bahru-Singapore rapid transit system (RTS), which is scheduled for completion in 2026.

His company, Wellington College International Regional Management (WCIRM), in partnership with Wellington College International (WCI), is looking into plans to establish Wellington College in the Iskandar area.

Lim said that Kuala Lumpur has also emerged as a potential site for a second school in Malaysia, ensuring greater accessibility to quality British education in the country.

Wellington College is a leading English boarding school that has been ranked as the highest-achieving International Baccalaureate (IB) school in the UK.

Both WCIRM and WCI announced last year that they plan to set up schools in three Southeast Asian countries, namely Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

They are opening Wellington College Jakarta, which will be located in a premium lifestyle mall in the upscale, urban Simatupang district of South Jakarta, in September 2024.

Wellington College Jakarta aims to become the top school in the region, one that combines the best of British education with regional and pan-Asian education strengths and traditions.

The school will be staffed by highly qualified teachers trained in the UK on the British curriculum, equipped with state-of-the-art facilities.

It will join the expanding Wellington College International family of schools in China, Thailand, and India.

Lim said the college will start out as an early years and preparatory school before expanding to a full K–12 curriculum and moving to a bigger campus.

"We are delighted with the progress made for Wellington College's entry into one of Southeast Asia's fastest-growing economies. Expatriates and local residents in Indonesia can soon send their children to a school that has a strong reputation not just for academics but also in sports.

"Building on Wellington College's all-round excellence, the Jakarta school will be able to equip students with essential skills to shape a better future for themselves," Lim said in a statement.

Lim added that other potential locations for expansion in Indonesia include Bali, where two sites have been secured, and Surabaya.

Meanwhile, WCI managing director Scott Bryan said that Jakarta is an excellent location to bring into the Wellington College family of schools.

"We are fortunate to have high-quality partners with each of our schools around the world and a really strong network of support to help them flourish. WCI is excited and privileged to have Lim and his team as partners," he said.