Labuan: The RM200 million newly-completed "Labuan Matriculation College" will have its first intake of some 1,700 students this month.

"Fifty per cent of the students will be form Sarawak, 49 per cent from Sabah and the remainder from Labuan, with the gender ratio at 50:50," said the Director of the college, Ahmad A Staun, during a press conference called by Malaysian Resources Corporation Bhd (MRCB) to announce the successful completion of the college within the deadline.

Ahmad said the college would offer a one-year course with two semesters and those who successfully complete the programme stand a good chance to further their studies in local universities.

He said some of the courses offered like "High Science" are to encourage successful students to take up medicine.

The college, sprawling over 56 acres with a total build-up area of 110,000 sq. meters, is located at Jalan OKK Daud which leads towards Kampung Merinding.

The college comes complete with hostel facilities and a host of other amenities.

MRCB Vice President, Head of the Engineering Construction and Overseas Operation Division, Dr Lim Ken Huat, said the college was the second major project of the company in this area after having successfully completed the RM250 million Tawau Airport.

He said the project, undertaken on a "fast-track" basis, was awarded to the company in December 2000 with the completion date set on Feb 28. Initially, it was a design-and-build concept but later became a turnkey.

Dr. Lim said about 2,000 workers were deployed for the project and it was very challenging due to the soil conditions.

"The jobs were parcelled out to a number of companies each with expertise in a particular area and this helped," he added.

Lim also said some RM2 million was also spent merely to landscape the area.

The college, which is the only of its kind in this region, is seen as another step towards Labuan's aspiration to become a centre of educational excellence with institutions offering a wide range of study options.