Students showed up at ‘The News Education Expo 2012’ in such large numbers that many stalls set up by various higher education institutions ran out of their giveaway information material.

“We were not expecting such response from the youth. We have run out of many flyers and had to ask administration to send some more,” said Madeeha Anwar, while managing a stall of Higher Education Commission. She said that most students were keen to know about scholarship opportunities and the way to avail them.

Just as it was on the opening day, the second day of the expo attracted not just students but also families wanting to ensure a bright future for their wards. A large banner put up by the organisers for people to comment on the expo was left with no space, such enthusiastic was the response of the visitors.

“It was awesome exhibition. It will build our confidence,” said one comment. “It was a great experience. Got all answers of my questions,” said another. Some youngsters also gave vent to their feelings on the situation of education in the country. “We do not need teachers. We need educators,” said one such comment. “We want complete peace in Pakistan,” was the demand of another visitor written in bold words.

Though the continuous two-day exhibit of their final projects was tiring for Heavy Industry Taxila Education City (HITEC) students, the encouragement they received covered it all. “People have taken so much interest in our projects. It was highly encouraging. Even the people from industry also watched our projects work and advised us how to proceed with our ideas when we graduate,” said Muhammad Qutb, final year student for HITEC.

Qutb along with Hassan Wareed, Zarak Khan and Tariq have made a remote control plane that was on display at the expo. They termed it ‘drone’ for Pakistan that needs a little improvement from the professionals and attention by the industry.

It can go to the maximum height of 200 ft and has the range of 2.5 km. The aircraft is round shared and covers more surface area that normal design which, according to the team of young engineers, makes it more stable. The Drone by Pakistani students can lift 4 kg weight. “We are in the process of installing GPS system and camera in our aircraft,” said Qutb.

Another project of HITEC on display at the entrance was the fuel-efficient car. A small car with a space for one person is made of fibreglass with aerodynamic body to beat the air resistance. The car is named “Iyaad-Reborn” after a horse that is known in the history for its speed and strength.

Made by Ali Raza, Muhammad Junaid, Amir Nawaz and Ali Shahid, the car can travel 85 km per litter of petrol as compared to 12 km per litter of normal car. “It needs a little professional touch otherwise the car is ready to hit the market,” said Ali Raza. He said that if picked by the industry, the car will cost around Rs120,000.

The HITEC students termed their first appearance in any exhibition as exciting. They were among many others who displayed their projects, met each other and exchanged ideas. “For us, meeting our colleagues from other universities was an added attraction,” said one student.

Among other stalls, there was Darakhshan Naeem who, despite her disability, was displaying handicraft made by both disabled and normal people in her centre. “This is a kind of higher education for persons with disability,” said Darakhshan, 28, from Karachi. She was promoting the beautiful products of people registered with her centre.

Next to her display areas was the stall of FM 91 where they provided mike and sound system to visitors. Youth from different background kept exhibiting their singing talent at the stall trough out the day. “It was indeed a memorable experience,” said Adeela Shakeel, a young visitor.