KARACHI, Feb 11: Thousands of students desiring to pursue their further education overseas flocked to the 9th two-day Annual Education Expo 2012, organised by the Dawn Media Group, which opened at the Expo Centre in Gulshan-i-Iqbal on Saturday.

According to a representative of the organizers, the exhibition, in which over 160 local and international educational institutions are participating, would remain open on Sunday as well from 11am to 7pm.

Entry to the exhibition is free.

He said the exhibition, an annual event, had regularly been held for the past nine years. The current exhibition was earlier held in Islamabad and Lahore before it moved to the city. He said about 80 per cent of the 160 institutions at the expo were international.

The countries whose educational institutions are participating in the event include Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland, Turkey, Hong Kong, Canada and the United States. Malaysia and Northern Cyprus are new entrants to the exhibition.

He said the exhibition provided opportunities to students to meet the faculty, admission officers and career councilors directly, and get enrolled on the spot with many of the institutions.

The event, as every year, has been scheduled at a time which coincides with the admission drive in educational institutions and is attracting students from various academies seeking information, coordination and enrolment details from the participating institutions.

Besides the education institutions, various governments, including the US, the UK, Australia and Canada had also set up stalls to promote educational opportunities in their respective countries. Some consultants that provide guidance to students seeking overseas education are also participating in the exhibition.

He said last year over 10,000 students had visited the expo in which around 120 educational institutions had participated.