Sy family to expand NU all over the PHL

The Sy family, the Philippines' richest, intends to expand the footprint of National University (NU) across the country's education landscape by setting up schools at SM shopping malls.

SM Prime Holdings Inc. President Hans Sy, who is also the NU chairman, told reporters on the sidelines of 5th Top Leaders Forum in Pasay City on Tuesday he would focus on NU once he retires from the corporate world.

The SM Group of Companies acquired majority ownership in the Manila-based univesity in 2008.

"What we are trying to do is to see how we can expand National University within the whole country," Sy noted. "Right now we are still in the planning stage. In my timeline we should start in a year or two."

The planned expansion is in line with the vision and advocacy of the Sy patriarch, Henry Sy Sr., to make education as accessible to as many Filipinos as possible.

A second campus—the P1-billion sports academy in Calamba, Laguna—is now under construction and is expected to be completed in 2018.

"This time we are really more focused on how to expand NU within our SM malls ... because we believe there are a lot of new things that has not worked in the Philippines on the education side that we will be applying. Eventually, we will announce those things once they get approved," he noted.

Part of the plan is to put up NU satellites within SM malls such the Mall of Asia complex in Pasay City.

"But there is so much regulatory, certain academic regulations, we have to stitch out. As I have said, I will not allow any problem or issues to stop us from going," Sy said.

In June 2008, the Sy family bought 60 percent stake in the century-old university located in Sampaloc, Manila.

NU opened in August 1900 as Colegio Filipino and was later renamed Colegio Mercantil with the introduction of accounting and business courses. It became the National Academy in 1916 and renamed the National University in 1921.

NU offers courses in architecture, commerce, dentistry, nursing, education, engineering, computer science, liberal arts, and pharmacy. It also has graduate school, elementary, and high school. —VDS/KG, GMA News