Kuala Lumpur, June 20 (IANS) Indian educational institutions are in the race with those from South Korea and the Netherlands to set up schools and colleges in Penang, Malaysia, where there is a large population of Indian settlers. The state’s Indian origin Deputy Chief Minister P. Ramasamy told media that teams from India, South Korea and Europe have made site visits to assess the possibility of setting up campuses in Penang.

Representatives from an international school from India had come with officials from the Indian High Commission Wednesday, the minister said.

He did not name the organisation, but said that it already runs a school in Kuala Lumpur, the national capital.

Ramasamy said an agricultural university in the Netherlands involved in food production had also expressed interest to open a campus in Penang, while a school in South Korea is considering setting up a centre here.

“I have linked them up with state agencies that can help them in this matter,” he said.

Currently, there are five international schools in Penang, The Sun newspaper said.

Indians, mostly Tamils, form eight percent of Malaysia’s 28 million population. Special education funds are allocated to ethnic minorities, including Chinese and Indians, who form 33 and eight percent, respectively, of Malaysia’s 28 million population.