PETALING JAYA: The initial public offerings (IPOs) of private educational institutions is expected to dominate discussions in a regional education symposium in KL this month end, as players in the multi-billion ringgit industry toy with novel ways to raise funds.
The inaugural International Education Symposium 2019 (IES 2019) will be held on July 29-30 with the theme “Education - The Next IPO”.
It is organised by the Private Education Entrepreneurs Association of Malaysia
(PEEAM), a non-profit body, and will be held at SME Corporation Malaysia in Platinum Sentral, Kuala Lumpur. SME Corp, an agency under the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development, is also the venue sponsor for the event.
Some 200 movers and shakers in the industry from the region are expected to participate, including owners of educational institutes from pre-school right up to tertiary levels; potential investors; legal experts and veteran educators.
PEEAM Chairman Dato’ Lim Seng Chai said IPO had been a recurring theme in the industry in recent years following exponential growth in that sector, as demand for quality education across the entire education spectrum rose.
“Many people have the perception that educational providers should not go for listing as commercialisation may cause education institutions to deviate from their sacred duties. This is not true,” Lim said.
“Through IPOs, educational institutions get greater and easier access to capital, that enables them to stay focused on providing quality education and investing in infrastructure to remain competitive in the global markets.
“It also enhances the development of teaching professionals and is effective in succession for family-owned businesses. At the end of the day, students gain from enhanced quality education.”
He added that the symposium will feature professionals to explore the prospects of IPO in the private education sector, including advising industry players on the regulatory and financial framework surrounding such listings.
Among the speakers include Director and founder of Children’s Discovery House Datin Nonadiah Abdullah; founder of Miracle of Capital Master Coach of Capital Mechanism, Dr Wong Jeh Shyan and Lim, himself a senior lawyer and partner in legal firm, Gan & Zul.
Besides IPO, the symposium will also be looking at the use of virtual reality ineducation and digitisation in the industry.
In conjunction with the event, PEEAM will also be giving out awards to honour private education providers from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, China and Taiwan on 30 July.
The Award Categories are as follows:
1. PEEAM 40 Years Lifetime Achievement Education Awards
2. PEEAM 30 Years Education Excellence Awards
3. PEEAM 20 Years Education Excellence Awards
4. PEEAM 10 Years Education Excellence Awards
5. PEEAM Innovative Education Awards
Admission to the symposium is free. Registration can be made on its website at http://peeam.org/registration/
