KUALA LUMPUR: Property developer Tropicana Corp Bhd (fundamental score: 1.30, valuation score: 2) is teaming up with global educational group GEMS Education to develop a school campus at the 88-acre (35.61ha) Tropicana Metropark integrated development in Subang Jaya, Selangor. The new campus will house an integrated international school offering foundation to primary and secondary stages of learning.

In a statement yesterday, Tropicana said it has signed an agreement with GEMS Education for the purpose. Under the deal, Tropicana will undertake to build an international school campus complete with world-class facilities on a five-acre plot of land with a built-up area of 210,000 sq ft within the Tropicana Metropark development.

The school, which will accommodate up to 2,400 local and international students aged 3 to 18, will be operated by GEMS Education upon completion in 2017, with the first intake expected in September.

The school will prepare students for the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSEs), AS and A Level examinations of the Cambridge International Examinations (CIE). It will offer a hybrid international and Malaysian curriculum including Bahasa Melayu, Islamic/Moral Studies, History, Art and Design, and Music and Drama in a Malaysian context to strengthen roots in Malaysian values, culture and development.

“Building a school with GEMS Education is a sign of our commitment in not just creating harmonious partnerships for the benefit of our customers, but ultimately, to also creating ideal and thriving townships that are strategic and holistic in nature,” Tropicana group executive vice-chairman Tan Sri Danny Tan said in the statement. “We aim to deliver educational excellence across our townships, which makes them integrated in every way possible,” he added.

Tropicana Metropark is one of Tropicana’s latest developments in the Klang Valley. The development features a 9.2-acre central park with a man-made lake.

Tropicana said the development has seen a positive take-up rate for its two- and three-bedroom units which were released last year.

Note: The Edge Research’s fundamental score reflects a company’s profitability and balance sheet strength, calculated based on historical numbers. A score of 0 means weak fundamentals and a score of 3 means strong fundamentals. Meanwhile, the valuation score determines if a stock is attractively valued or not, calculated based on historical numbers. A score of 0 means valuations are not attractive. Vice versa, a score of 3 means valuations are attractive.
 

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on January 14, 2015.