KKR backs Southeast Asia K-12 schools business

The size of the transaction was not disclosed. The private equity firm will support regional expansion and general business growth.

The K-12 unit, Taylor’s Schools, owns and operates six international schools: Garden International School, Nexus International School Singapore, Nexus International School Malaysia, Australian International School Malaysia, Taylor’s International School Kuala Lumpur, and Taylor’s International School Puchong.

TEG will remain the majority shareholder. The parent company serves more than 20,000 students across Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam. In addition to K-12, it runs higher education and vocational education institutions.

“We are excited by this opportunity to share our knowledge and provide a capital solution for Taylor’s Schools in its ambition to further expand into the region and provide quality educational experiences to more students,” said S.J. Lim, a managing director at KKR, in a statement.

“Under the leadership of Taylor’s Schools’ management team, all four brands have consistently achieved strong academic outcomes and we are confident that it is primed for more success.”

KKR's existing education exposure in Asia includes Lighthouse Learning in India, EQuest Education in Vietnam, and Education Perfect in Australia and New Zealand. It is also invested in Huohua Siwei, Hetao 101, and Tarena International in China, although the country’s private tuition space is clouded by uncertainty following a raft of new regulations in the K-12 space.

Private equity investors have targeted education assets across Southeast Asia. Notable deals in Malaysia specifically have tended towards higher education, such as Affinity Equity Partners' acquisition of Laureate Education and KV Asia Capital supporting a management buyout of APIIT Education Group.

Rothschild served as the sole financial advisor to Taylor’s Schools and its shareholders.

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• Topics
• Southeast Asia
• Consumer
• Expansion
• Malaysia
• Education
• KKR
• Growth capital