Pakistan’s biggest education expo starts

LAHORE
Pakistan’s biggest education expo, The News Education Expo’15, kicked off Saturday attracting a large number of visitors on the first day.
The two-day expo was inaugurated by Punjab Education Minister Rana Mashhood Ahmad who speaking on the occasion termed the event a “great initiative promoting the cause of education.” The minister visited the expo and interacted with the visitors particularly students and the participating institutes and appreciated the organizers for arrangements.
Mashhood said over the years The News Education Expo had emerged as a big platform for students. To a question about Axact degree scandal, the minister said the Punjab government had always discouraged those doing business in the name of education. He said the government would also launch a crackdown on fake institutions, adding the establishment of the Punjab Higher Education Commission was also aimed at regulating affairs of private higher education institutes in the province. Answering another question, the minister said the Punjab government would introduce legislation vis-à-vis regulating affairs of private schools after the budget session at the Punjab Assembly.
Meanwhile a large number of visitors, particularly students some of whom were also accompanied by their parents, thronged The News Education Expo and took advantage of the opportunity to get information vis-à-vis academic programmes including scholarship opportunities and fee structure, etc.
For a visitor, Aleem, the expo proved a great help as he was able to interact with representatives of different universities making it easy for him to choose the programme of his choice keeping in view his affordability. “The face-to-face interaction gives you a better idea when you have to pick an institute of your choice,” Aleem said.
Similar views were expressed by majority of the visitors with particular mention of opportunity to compare academic programmes and fee structures of different universities. “The education expo is a wonderful idea which greatly benefit students looking for institute of their choice,” said another visitor, Sohail. Many participating organisations at The News Education Expo have been offering lucky draws besides free checkup of eyesight, blood and sugar tests etc. to the visitors.
Zohaib Khan, project manager and Muhammad Umer, Assistant Manager CR at Punjab Group of Colleges (PGC), said their group had been participating in The News Education Expo for almost five years and found the response impressive. “Undoubtedly The News Education Expo is the biggest education expo of Pakistan with good arrangements and wonderful venue,” said Zohaib. “Over the years this expo has won trust of the visitors and has emerged as a credible name,” said Umer.
Both of them said the event was a good move to bridge prospective students and the institutes as nothing remained unanswered as far as information sharing was concerned. Assistant Prof Farhan Sherazi, Head of Department at Bahria University, a project of Pakistan Navy, said The News Expo was a good platform for the universities to project themselves and interact with prospective students and their parents. He suggested that the expo should be held at least twice a year once before the spring and other before fall admissions.
Nadia Omar from the United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP) said participating in the expo was a good experience and termed the event well-organized. She added the expo was a wonderful opportunity for the visitors, especially students to take advantage for better future planning.
Senior Representatives from Office of the Students Affairs of the University of Lahore, Urooj, said her university had been participating in The News Expo or the past many years and the response had been great. She termed the expo a good trend providing a platform to students and their parents to explore institutes under one roof with on-spot free guidance.
Wasif Zafar, head of Marketing of Concordia Colleges, said it was for the first time that Concordia was participating in the expo. He said the expo was an open platform for prospective students as well as their parents to directly interact with a large number of participating institutes.
Prof Rashid Najeeb, Director Admin and Students Affairs at Imperial College of Business Studies (ICBS), said the event was also a kind of platform for students to seek guidance vis-à-vis their career planning.
Dr Aneeqa Chugtai from Sharif Trust said it was good to see that parents were also accompanying their kids at the expo and exploring opportunities with regard to academic programmes being offered by different institutes.
International Students Advisor from RCC Institute of Technology and Toronto Film School, Canada, Ibrar Majeed said many of the visiting students sought information about scholarships, adding the institute he was representing was offering up to 60 percent fee waiver in Engineering and Electronic programmes.
Tahir Khurshid, Director Schools from Superior Group of Colleges, said the expo was providing the visiting students a chance to compare and then select institute of their choice after interacting with representatives of participating institutes and a platform to the institutes to market their products.
The National College of Business Administration and Economics (NCBA&E) Director Ch Saleem said his college received a lot of inquiries from the students at the expo. “We have been participating in the expo for the last many years and the response has always been good,” he added.
This year the platinum sponsors for The News Education Expo’15 are eLearn.Punjab, Punjab Group of Colleges, the University of Lahore, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan, Information Technology University (ITU), ISRA University and ICMA Pakistan.
The gold sponsors for this year’s expo are Sharif Trust, University of Management and Technology (UMT), The Superior Group, PAC Group of Colleges, NISA Girls Colleges, SKANS School of Accountancy, PFL Education, Imperial College of Business Studies, Bahria University, Concordia Colleges, Lahore Leads University, Riphah International University, Comsats, FAST-NU, Higher Education Commission (HEC) Islamabad, Forman Christian College (A Chartered University), Minhaj University, the United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP), Habib University and British Council. Radio FM 91 is the radio partner for the event. The News Education Expo’15 will continue at the PC hotel, with free entry, from 10am to 7pm on Sunday (today).
for the past many years and the response had been great. She termed the expo a good trend providing a platform to students and their parents to explore institutes under one roof with on-spot free guidance.
Wasif Zafar, head of Marketing of Concordia Colleges, said it was for the first time that Concordia was participating in the expo. He said the expo was an open platform for prospective students as well as their parents to directly interact with a large number of participating institutes.
Prof Rashid Najeeb, Director Admin and Students Affairs at Imperial College of Business Studies (ICBS), said the event was also a kind of platform for students to seek guidance vis-à-vis their career planning.
Dr Aneeqa Chugtai from Sharif Trust said it was good to see that parents were also accompanying their kids at the expo and exploring opportunities with regard to academic programmes being offered by different institutes.
International Students Advisor from RCC Institute of Technology and Toronto Film School, Canada, Ibrar Majeed said many of the visiting students sought information about scholarships, adding the institute he was representing was offering up to 60 percent fee waiver in Engineering and Electronic programmes.
Tahir Khurshid, Director Schools from Superior Group of Colleges, said the expo was providing the visiting students a chance to compare and then select institute of their choice after interacting with representatives of participating institutes and a platform to the institutes to market their products.
The National College of Business Administration and Economics (NCBA&E) Director Ch Saleem said his college received a lot of inquiries from the students at the expo. “We have been participating in the expo for the last many years and the response has always been good,” he added.
This year the platinum sponsors for The News Education Expo’15 are eLearn.Punjab, Punjab Group of Colleges, the University of Lahore, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan, Information Technology University (ITU), ISRA University and ICMA Pakistan.
The gold sponsors for this year’s expo are Sharif Trust, University of Management and Technology (UMT), The Superior Group, PAC Group of Colleges, NISA Girls Colleges, SKANS School of Accountancy, PFL Education, Imperial College of Business Studies, Bahria University, Concordia Colleges, Lahore Leads University, Riphah International University, Comsats, FAST-NU, Higher Education Commission (HEC) Islamabad, Forman Christian College (A Chartered University), Minhaj University, the United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP), Habib University and British Council. Radio FM 91 is the radio partner for the event. The News Education Expo’15 will continue at the PC hotel, with free entry, from 10am to 7pm on Sunday (today).