Education city plan in Bhutan
December 16th, 2009
Following is an excerpt from a report in http://www.kuenselonline.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=14230.
A Kolkata-based company Infinity infotech parks limited has proposed to invest a billion dollars or Nu 47 billion in creating an ‘Education/Knowledge City’ in Bhutan.
The project, by far the largest FDI investment proposal, aims to bring in the branches of around 15 to 30 top universities, along with 40,000 foreign students, into a 1000-acre education city.
The Infinity groups representative in Bhutan, Palden Tshering, the head of Chundu enterprises said, “The FDI project should provide employment for around 100,000 people, most of whom will be Bhutanese and eventually generate up to 500 million dollars a year in foreign exchange.”
“The education city, apart from universities, will have high quality schools for faculty members, labs, hotels, health care, cultural and entertainment centres, sport centres, libraries, stationery, cafes and others to service the student population, which will all vitalise the local economy and allow Bhutanese to invest in,” said Palden Tshering. He said even IT companies and corporations that would want to hire this talent pool could set up offices in the city.
… “What Infinity wants is 1,000 acres on lease or for sale, where 60 percent of the area can be built on,” said Palden.
… MoEA secretary Dasho Sonam Tshering said, “Since the investment proposal is of such a size and land intensive, the government will have too discuss, see what we want and do a feasibility study.”
… Palden said that Bhutan would be a good location for the project due to its pristine environment, political stability and because it can provide the same quality of education being charged at 50,000 to 60,000 dollars annually abroad at around 15,000 dollars in Bhutan. He said that Infinity was in discussion with many ivy-league universities in the U.S. and other countries and some of them had expressed interest.
I was told there is such a city in China. I don’t know which one it is. Will look for a link.
Entry Filed under: Cross-cutting topics,International Education