The News Education Expo opens to throngs of students, parents

The three-day education event is being held at the Expo Centre and many leading local institutions, as well as consultants of various foreign universities, are available to guide students on future academic pursuits

Karachi: Despite the hot weather in Karachi, a large number of visitors visited The News Education Expo '16 on its first day on Friday.

Students, who recently appeared for their annual board examinations, arrived with their parents to inquire about admission policies and courses offered by the local higher education institutions as well as foreign-based universities.

The three-day education exhibition is being held at the Expo Centre and many leading local institutions as well as consultants of various foreign universities are available to guide students.

Provincial information and archives adviser Moula Bakhsh Chandio, the chief guest of the event, told The News after inaugurating the exhibition that the Pakistan People’s Party-led provincial government had been striving to increase the standards of education and in the past few years it had allocated a large amount of money for this purpose.

“In the upcoming annual budget, the Sindh government will again allocate a major chunk of funds for the education sector,” he added.

The adviser said he could not share the exact figure which would be allocated for the education sector but he believed it would be sufficient to run the affairs smoothly.

“The teaching staff and others will get increments for sure.”

Chandio appreciated the efforts of the Jang Group for constantly arranging education exhibitions in different cities, particularly in Karachi. “Gathering different educational institutions under one-roof is helpful for parents and students as well as those who set up their stalls.”

The adviser said spreading education was necessary to rid the society of evils. “An educated society assures financial growth and a peaceful environment.”

One of the visitors, Mustafa Adil, said that he has appeared for his intermediate examinations and the he was visiting the exhibition to learn about courses and faculty members of educational institutions.

“As there are many leading universities participating in this event, it gives me a chance to interact with them and collect information about their programmes. Otherwise, I will have to visit them individually which is not possible in a day.”

Dr Shahana Urooj Kazmi, the rector of the Dadabhoy Institute of Higher Education, said the exhibition was very impressive and visitors had arrived with well-prepared questions and were eager to learn about faculty members, the courses being offered and other relevant information.

Dr Kazmi, a former pro-vice chancellor of the University of Karachi, observed that the participation of several leading universities was the main attraction and she expected more people to visit on the second and the last day of the event.

“I visited the stall of my institution today and will do so on the rest of the two days too as I believe that my presence motivates my staff,” she added.

She suggested that more space should be given to stalls so that they could hold counselling sessions for larger crowds instead informing them individually or in smaller groups.

Maria Kaleem, another student who had recently appeared for her intermediate examinations, said she was visiting the exhibition to learn about the textile courses being offered by universities.

“I am seeking a career in the fashion industry and I want to know about what local institutions are offering so that I can choose the right one for myself.”

Faisal Haroon, the manager of admissions and public relations at the Iqra University, said counselling was very important for students before their admission.

“Such events are helpful for students as well as us, who come and set up their stalls as it gives opportunities to interact closely. Unfortunately, students don’t have such platforms available to interact with universities’ officials, so this is a good opportunity for them,” he added.

“The universities’ representatives inform students about the courses, the scope of the fields and also give them career-related advices besides marketing their institutions.”

Haroon said the Iqra University offered teaching in up to eight disciplines and was declared the best institution for business administration studies by the Higher Education Commission last year.

“The Iqra University also provides the best on-hand experiences to its students enrolled in media studies as it has the latest and state-or-art technical equipment and is not only limited to print or electronic but also exploring other media too.”