KARACHI, April 3: The two-day Dawn Education Expo 2004 got under way at the Expo Centre on Saturday morning. A large number of visitors, mostly students, flocked to the Expo Centre hall where over 30 stalls had been set up by exhibitors , offering a wide range of services and educational opportunities.

The organizers said the reason why the exhibition had turned out to be such a success was that it coincided with the commencement of the admission process at most educational institutes.

"Instead of having to go to various institutes located all over Karachi, the students can obtain a lot of information from these institutes represented by their staff here under one roof," they said.

"The exhibition has assembled quite a few foreign and local universities, colleges and educational institutes and has allowed faculty, admission officers and career counsellors to interact with students directly," they said.

They pointed out that the model of the question mark placed right in front of the Expo Centre hall signified the spirit of inquiry that most students should have.

Tanveer Fatima, a student of a leading Karachi-based school, said that while she wanted to go abroad for higher studies, she did not want to go to the United States because of many visa restrictions.

"I am glad I came here because I found that some Dubai-based educational institutes are offering excellent opportunities to students. Dubai is closer to Pakistan, and it will be a good idea to go there for higher studies," she observed.

Another student, Javed Asghar, said that the success of business schools could be gauged from the fact that they attracted most visitors at the Expo Centre hall. He observed that previously the stalls of educational institutes offering courses in information technology would have been so crowded.

Sindh governor Dr Ishratul Ibad turned up at the Expo Centre at around 1.30pm. Surrounded by helmet-wearing security guards, he visited many stalls and spoke to the exhibitors.

Talking to newsmen, he said the exhibition offered an excellent opportunity to students to find out what courses were being offered by different educational institutes not only in Karachi but also abroad. He added that he had urged the exhibitors to offer as much discount and as many facilities to students as possible.