Stepping into Pool Marquee of a local hotel in Karachi to attend the Beaconhouse College Fair 2016, I cannot say that I did not have high expectations from this event. The school system, for one, is known for the quality education it imparts; as such, I was enthusiastically looking forward to a setup that exuded the clear vision of the management itself. Not only were they bringing more than 40 educational institutes under a single roof, but they were a class apart in facilitating the setups of the different stalls and the interaction among visitors and the students, exhibitors, and the staff present.
As a keen learner myself, I was ecstatic for a chance to talk to some institutions for courses I was particularly interested in. But, first, duty calls. A detour to the Beaconhouse desk, seeking someone from their management, was naturally then in order. That introduced me to Mr. Rehan Wajih Hasan, the person behind it all. As Deputy Regional Career Advisor Beaconhouse School System (BSS) Southern Region, he was kind enough to spare few minutes for Us.
“This is the first time ever that we’ve held an event on such large scale. I don’t know how these Q/As go usually so you’d have to guide me,” he laughed. I didn’t tell him then, but this was the first time I was covering such an affair too! (Sorry, Rehan! :))
What was the aim behind hosting this event?
The purpose behind Beaconhouse College Fair 2016 was to provide a platform for students to make smooth decisions regarding their prospects and admissions. O-/A- Level and Intermediates students were the target audience invited since they are the main student body in Pakistan and needed this kind of university awareness, the interaction and guidance.
The first-of-its kind college fair held in Karachi was a free of cost event. What was Beaconhouse’s interest, specifically?
To begin with, the fair was a two-day thing, held at a neutral venue. Top universities - both local and from abroad - were invited to participate. LUMS, IBA, SZABIST and NED to note a few renowned universities of Pakistan whereas others still like the University of Hertfordshire, Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation, and Durham University are the highly ranked and award-winning international institutes from other countries (UK, USA, Canada, Malaysia, Australia, and Turkey etc.) that offer higher education opportunities for these students.
This was purely for student awareness in line with the full-time counselling and advisory services that we offer (at The Access Center). We do hold events otherwise but we wanted to do it on a larger scale to help them interact and choose the best possible option. Knowing the courses these universities offer, their admission criteria, and observing the exhibits the participants had put together, they would be in a better position to pursue their desired qualifications.
I agree. So, the next important question can be how was the turnover?
It was a public event. Our entire student body was there. In all, the event received a huge response. The students really liked the whole initiative because they didn’t have to go anywhere and had access to a number of universities at one place only. Even the universities gave us a thumbs-up and really appreciated the effort.
That summed it up for me. Following up on his encouragement then, I went around and talked to the uni representatives. I mean, why not take their feedback as well while I was there, right? Don’t worry, I wouldn’t bore you with any fluff but there are some points worth mentioning here.
For instance, we knew that it got a fairly good response, but like Mr. Tanveer, a PhD student and teacher representing Durham University told us, it was a diverse crowd, which included a generous mix of students from other schools and parents as well. As Mrs. Tahira Ahmed Khan, assistant professor at Greenwich University said, ‘Of course, you have to hand it to the Beaconhouse System for providing a very good platform.’ Overall, it was a very good experience in itself for all parties involved with students leaving with a clear idea of what they wanted to do and the universities happy with the rich sample they would be welcoming to their programmes pretty soon.
If that’s starters for Beaconhouse College Fair, I can well imagine what it would it would be like in years to come.
