KARACHI: “Generally, the kids are looking for scholarships. But tuition fee is not everything. There is also the cost of living, food, etc, that they have to be taken into consideration while weighing the options,” said Fazli Azeem while representing his alma mater at the Back-to-School fair in a hotel here for students who want to pursue higher education in the United States.

“Many here are also concerned about what they would do after their return to Pakistan. For them I recommend entrepreneurship as there is lots of potential for it here. I am myself working for a start-up company after coming back to Pakistan.”

“My son Umer has just passed his O-Levels, bagging four ‘A’ and five ‘A*’. His school, Beaconhouse, even awarded him a gold medal. I know he still has a couple of years to go before university but we are here looking for the best boost to his education,” said a proud father, Mohammad Ali Arabi.

“I am looking at big university names such as Harvard and Massachusetts and dreaming of him attending school there, but my son would know best when choosing a university for himself, I’m sure.”

Meanwhile, the son carefully gathering details from all desks, saying he was interested in mathematics, physics and chemistry, so was looking for a technical college.

Marvi Mahesar, a medical student at Bahria University, said she really liked her university “but that doesn’t mean I should not look for better options. I want to plan ahead so I am here looking for universities with the best programmes to offer in medicine.”

Mohammad Saquib, enrolled in a diploma programme at Saifee College, said: “I’m looking for some useful programme to suit my educational requirements and also someone useful to explain to me how someone like me with few financial resources can go abroad for further studies to better my future.”

Besides the many university desks giving out information and brochures, there was also a US consulate desk at the fair to explain to students how to apply for a US Student Visa.

Orgnanised by the consulate general of the USA, the day-long fair provided students here with an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchanges worldwide. “A US education stands for academic excellence,” said US Consul General Brian Heath, who also mentioned that Pakistani students in the US enhanced campus diversity.

According to Mr Heath, there were 4,600 Pakistani students in the US in 2012. “The US international educational experience enables students, scholars and emerging leaders to connect,” he said. “Together, they can prepare to meet today’s global challenges.”

It was also mentioned that the US government has extensive and comprehensive exchange programmes with Pakistan. Each year, more than 1,200 Pakistanis go to the US on short and long-term academic and professional programmes.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2014