KARACHI, Feb 17: A two-day Dawn Education Expo 2007, the 4th of its series organised by Dawn Group of Newspapers, started at the Expo Centre on Saturday.

Over one hundred foreign and local varsities, colleges and other higher education institutions have set up stalls in three big halls of the Expo Centre, where representatives and counsellors of the institutions are present to provide information about admissions to students.

Students and their elders in large numbers thronged the exhibition on the first day, collected brochures and other literature of institutions. Besides local institutions, varsities in the UK, USA, UAE, Australia, Malaysia, Canada, Hong Kong and Ireland have set up stalls.

The exhibition offers a good opportunity to those who desire admission in any national or international university as the interaction on one-on-one basis is the easiest way to get admission on the spot.

This is the first-ever largest exhibition of its kind in the country that attracted the top institutions and the visitors obtained information, especially about scholarship programmes and other facilities in different countries, under one roof.

The visiting students also participated in seminars and counselling sessions of different institutions held on the second floor of the Expo Centre. They had in-depth discussions with qualified people on the best options available with them about the choice of courses, degrees and institutes.

Dr Manzoor Ahmad, renowned scholar and rector of the International Islamic University Islamabad, talking to this scribe at the university stall appreciated the efforts made by Dawn Group of Newspapers for promotion of literacy and termed the exhibition a vital step in the best interest of students. “Bringing the leading educational institutions under one roof will help spread education,” he said.

The exhibition will continue on Sunday till 7pm. On February 21 and 22, the Dawn Education Expo will be organised in Lahore and on February 24 and 25 in Islamabad.