ISLAMABAD, March 5: Hundreds of students aspiring to get education at the world best higher education institutions made a beeline for the Dawn's Education Expo, 2005, held at Jinnah Convention Centre here on Saturday.

The two-day Education Expo has been organized by the Dawn group of newspapers.

Last year, in Karachi, just in two days, more than 70 universities and higher education institutions from Pakistan, Australia, Ireland, Malaysia, United Kingdom and UAE had come face to face with over 70,000 students.

This year, similar exhibitions were held at the Expo Centre in Karachi on Feb 27-28, and at a hotel in Lahore on March 2-3.

According to the organizers, more than 60 universities and higher education institutions have put up their stalls to provide required information to the students.

"More than 60 reputable universities and higher education institutions from Pakistan and abroad have come under one roof for the benefit of students seeking higher education," said an organiser. The exhibition also has a separate UK pavilion. A separate presentation room has also been set up where the universities would highlight the courses they offer, she said.

Braving intermittent rain, the students from Rawalpindi and Islamabad and adjoining areas thronged the Convention Centre and were busy selecting the university of their choice. In some cases parents were seen accompanying their children to help them select the best university.

Talking to Dawn, an exhibitor expressed satisfaction over the arrangements made by the organisers. "It's really good to be among the best universities not only from Pakistan but also from abroad, and the students will be able to select the best university," a representative from a local private university said.

"This is an era of open competition and gone are the days when institutions attracted students only through advertisements," she said. A number of students were looking excited over the presence of the representatives of more than 60 universities under one roof.

"I had an interview with the admission director of a London- based university, who has accepted my admission application for the MBA programme, and I would be travelling to the UK this summer," a girl student told Dawn.