ISLAMABAD: The two-day Dawn Education Expo concluded on Sunday, at the Pakistan-China Friendship. Over the two days, a large number of visitors thronged the expo to explore educational opportunities at universities in 15 countries of the world, including Pakistan.

As Saturday was a cold and rainy day, the largest number of visitors attended the expo on Sunday which was relatively warmer and sunny.

Representatives and career counselors from 96 different universities participated in the expo and answered questions of students, teachers and parents regarding admissions and courses.

A law student, Mureed Hussain, said the expo provided a good opportunity to explore universities offering Masters of Law in the United Kingdom.

Another student, Shaista Riaz, said the expo allowed her to understand the eligibility criteria for admission at universities abroad. “I used to think gaining admission to a university abroad is very difficult. Now that I understand the eligibility criteria, I know I can also apply,” she said.

“A lot of my questions regarding university fees and financial aid were answered at the expo,” said Nonihal Shah, a student of Bahria University.

Representatives of universities, hoping to recruit students from Pakistan, also appreciated the initiative. “We are happy that we managed to meet such a large number of potential students. We hope that they gain admission to our college,” said Mr Shahshi, representative of Erican College Malaysia.

Gavin Macdonald, representative of University of Highlands and Islands in Scotland, said he has met some talented students at the Expo who would bring diversity to the university campus.

University of Istanbul representative Syed Sohaib Hassan said “We are very happy, so far around 500 students visited our stall and received information about the university.”

He said among other factors, the popularity of Turkish dramas is contributing to a greater interest among Pakistani students to study in Turkey. “Usually, students at expos throng the stalls of international universities but here the local universities also received a good response from interested students,” said Ahsan Ali, representative of University of Management and Technology, Lahore.

The Dawn Education Expo will be organised in Lahore from February 10-11 and Karachi from February 14-15.

Published in Dawn, February 9th, 2015

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