More students, more rooms

New hostel being built as MDIS aims to double enrolment in five years
Ong Dai Lin dailin@mediacorp.com.sg
DESPITE the tough economic climate, the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS) plans to double its student enrolment in five years and is embarking on a bold $200 million expansion to build a new hostel and develop campus facilities.
.Under the first phase of its development plan, MDIS will build an $80 million hostel with teaching facilities that can house some 1,620 students. To be completed by 2011, it will be the largest hostel for private schools in Singapore.
.The rooms will be air-conditioned and rates are expected to be between $400 and $800 a month, MDIS honorary treasurer Chua Chen How said yesterday at the groundbreaking ceremony for the hostel.
.The other private school here that has a hostel is SIM Global Education. Room rates at the hostel, which can house over 400 students, range from $450 to $750.
.Under the second phase of its plan, MDIS will spend $20 million to build a new six-storey administrative wing by the middle of next year.
.The secretary-general of MDIS,Dr R Theyvendran, told Today that the school had brought forward the development plans to take advantage of the lower construction costs.
.MDIS will draw from its current $104 million in reserves to pay for the first two phases of development.
.After the first two phases are completed, MDIS will submit a proposal to the Urban Redevelopment Authority and Singapore Land Authority for a $100 million project to build three blocks of training rooms for its engineering students, Mr Chua said.
.He estimates that when all three phases of development are completed in five years’ time, MDIS will be able to expand its student population from the present 12,500 to 25,000.
.Currently, around 3,500 of MDIS’ students are foreigners....

The above is an extract of an article in Today Online.