The partnership was sealed through an MOA signing ceremony between University of Nottingham Malaysia CEO and Provost Professor Graham Kendall and Panyathip International School Managing Director and Founder Pathana Panyathip, held at the World Education Forum in London on 23 January 2018. The signing was witnessed by Lao PDR Minister of Education and Sports Sengdeuane Lachanthaboun and UK Trade Envoy to Laos Rt Hon Ed Baizey.
In attendance at the signing event were Malaysia Ministry of Higher Education Director General Datin Paduka Ir Dr Siti Hamisah Tapsir, British Council Malaysia Director Sarah Deverall and British High Commission Kuala Lumpur Head of Marketing and GREAT Campaign Alison Collingridge.
According to University of Nottingham Malaysia CEO and Provost Professor Graham Kendall: “The University of Nottingham opened its Malaysia campus in 2000, and another campus in China in 2005. This MOA gives us the ability to reach out ever further into ASEAN and we are delighted to be able to deliver our foundation programmes in Laos. This partnership provides the Millennials in Laos the opportunity to study for our foundation courses without having to leave their home country, although they are welcome to come to any of our campuses for a short period to give them the global experience that is so important these days.”
He added: “This partnership was first discussed at the BETT Asia conference in November 2016 and it is remarkable that we have been able to sign this MOA just 15 months later. It is a testament to all those involved that they have welcomed this initiative and worked so hard to deliver the vision. Special thanks are due to the UK Ambassador to Laos HE Hugh Evans, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in Malaysia (FCO), headed by HE Vicki Treadell and the British Council team in Malaysia, led by Sarah Deverall. We also owe a huge debt of thanks to the Ministries of Higher Education (MOHE) in both Malaysia and Laos. We were delighted that Datin Paduka Siti, the Director General, of MOHE in Malaysia was present at the ceremony, along with Malaysia’s FCO Alison Collingridge and British Council’s Sarah Deverall.”
The University of Nottingham Malaysia offers foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Identical programmes are offered in the University of Nottingham campuses in the UK, China and Malaysia. Panyathip International Schools Loa PDR is a private institution consisting of English and Lao medium kindergarten, primary and secondary schools operating under the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Sports, Laos. The primary and secondary schools also offer programmes approved by University of Cambridge International Examinations.
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More information is available from Dr Rozilini.Fernandez-Chung or Josephine Dionisappu, PR & Communications Manager at The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus on josephine.dionisappu@nottingham.edu.my, +6 (03) 8924 8746.
Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham has 43,000 students and is ‘the nearest Britain has to a truly global university, with a “distinct” approach to internationalisation, which rests on those full-scale campuses in China and Malaysia, as well as a large presence in its home city.’ (Times Good University Guide 2016). It is also one of the most popular universities in the UK among graduate employers and the winner of ‘Outstanding Support for Early Career Researchers’ at the Times Higher Education Awards 2015. It is ranked in the world’s top 75 by the QS World University Rankings 2015/16. More than 97 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is recognised internationally and it is 8th in the UK by research power according to the Research Excellence Framework 2014. It has been voted the world’s greenest campus for four years running, according to Greenmetrics Ranking of World Universities.
Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, its biggest-ever fundraising campaign, is delivering the University’s vision to change lives, tackle global issues and shape the future.
Posted on 25th January 2018