Kaplan Acquires Mandarin Language Training School in Hong Kong

New York, Feb. 23, 2006—Kaplan, Inc., one of the world's leading providers of educational services, has acquired Hong Kong Putonghua Vocational School (HKPVS), a leading provider of Mandarin language training in Hong Kong.  The terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Kaplan, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO), has expanded beyond its roots in test preparation and today provides services including higher education, professional training, primary and secondary school services and after-school learning programs.  Kaplan operates more than 75 postsecondary campuses, more than 160 after-school learning centers, an online university, and test prep centers and satellite locations around the world.  Its 2004 revenue was $1.1 billion.

Established in 1973, HKPVS provides Mandarin language instruction for individual students and executive learners, including international professionals seeking to improve business links in the region. It also prepares students for the standardized Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK).  The school has 10,000 students, 75 employees and seven centers in Hong Kong.
 
“With the importance of China in the world’s economy, Mandarin language skills have become an important asset,” said William Macpherson, CEO of Kaplan International.  “We are thrilled to add an industry leader like Hong Kong Putonghua Vocational School to the Kaplan portfolio.”
 
Professor Cheung Dan, founder of HKPVS, said: “We are delighted to be a part of Kaplan and are looking forward to this great opportunity to work with the company.  With Kaplan’s vast resources and support, I'm confident that HKPVS will contribute to the success of company’s Asia operation."

Professor Dan will continue in her role as principal of the HKPVS and will serve as an advisor for Kaplan’s China businesses.

Kaplan’s business in Asia already includes the Asia Pacific Management Institute (APMI), one of Asia’s largest private education providers based in Singapore; FTC Kaplan (formerly the Financial Training Company), a leading provider of test preparation services for accounting and financial service professionals in Hong Kong, Singapore and the U.K.; and Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions, which has locations in Hong Kong, Japan and Korea.

Kaplan’s other holdings outside the United States include: Dublin Business School, one of Ireland's largest private university-level institutions; Holborn College, a U.K. leader in international education; and Kidum, a leading provider of test preparation in Israel. Kaplan also has partnerships with the University of Sheffield and Nottingham Trent University, both in the U.K., to provide international students with solid academic preparation programs combined with intensive English-language preparation and study skills to gain admission to the universities. Kaplan is based in New York.

About Kaplan
Kaplan offers test prep and admissions services worldwide, including K12 services for schools; after-school learning programs for children in more than 160 SCORE! centers throughout the United States; licensing and continuing education training and compliance tracking; publishing; and postsecondary certificate and degree programs online and through more than 75 campus-based locations.  For more information about Kaplan, please visit www.kaplan.com. 

Press Contact:

Dick Riley
Vice President, Communications
Kaplan, Inc.
(212) 492-5854
dick.riley@kaplan.com

Michele Snipe
PR Manager
Kaplan Inc.
(212) 492-5941
michele_snipe@kaplan.com

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