Kathmandu: After completing a certain level of education, be it SLC or Plus Two, students face the dilemma of choosing the right place to pursue their further studies.

With so many colleges burgeoning and plenty of options, although not easy to decide, it is indispensable to make that correct choice.

Addressing such issues, the emerging trends of holding academic fairs in the country has turned out to cater to the needs of fresh graduates.

Similarly, the 9th Higher Education and Career Fair 2011 has been organized to provide information about emerging career options in various fields, and the courses and institutes offering such.

With the initiative of Direction Nepal, an event management company, the fair kicks off from June 23 to 26 in the Exhibition Hall of Bhrikuti Mandap in Kathmandu.

Direction Nepal has been organizing fairs with the same theme from 2002. According to Pashupati Khatri, Director of Direction Nepal, many students are opting to go abroad while some choose to stay back.



Mostly, students here tend to look for colleges that are liberal and which offer extra facilities.

“What they neglect is to see if those colleges provide quality education, if they have good professors, and how the classes are conducted,” said Khatri.

He further said that over the years we have seen the growth of quality colleges in the country but students are mostly oblivious to that. Moreover, it is also essential to get prior and correct information about the courses that prospective students would like to take.

So the exhibition intends to make future students aware of the same.

He informed that besides basic counseling about what subject to study, where to study and what to expect from colleges, which will be given by the representatives from different colleges, the educational consultancies at the fair will provide thorough details about the procedures of going abroad to places like Australia and Canada, among others.

He added that while going abroad, it is also important to know about the accommodation facilities, weather conditions, food habits, and costs of living in the area in which he or she intends to study.

“There are also subjects which the colleges of Nepal don’t offer. So we’re bringing in colleges from India that offer what we lack here,” he added.

Mayank Pakuryal, 17, a fresh SLC graduate, is of the opinion that for those students who don’t have guardians to guide them or can give proper counseling regarding studies, educational fairs are of great help.

“Students are in a confused state of mind, and so such students have to attend such fairs to figure out where and what to study,” he added.

Another student, Kritika Shrestha, 19, who just completed her Plus Two studies, has attended such fairs in the past. She thinks that education fairs facilitate students to choose a college or university according to their affordability and interests.

“We not only get to learn about national universities, colleges, and counseling on abroad study but also get psychological counseling all in one location. Such fairs should be frequently held to help those who are facing educational predicaments,” she added.

Suman Maharjan, events coordinator of Direction Nepal, said that it is one of the largest fairs happening in the country, and is targeted to the recently SLC graduates, Plus Two graduates and undergraduate students.

At the said Fair, there will be 123 stalls put up by 80 organizations, including colleges, universities and educational consultancies.

Maharjan further said that through the fair, besides the grand promotion of the participating institutions, students will also get the alternatives to choose an ideal college.

“Students will get to interact and communicate with the concerned people of different institutions at the same platform.

It’ll save time and help the students avoid the hassles of going around looking for colleges,” he opined.

The facility of on-the-spot admission and scholarship opportunities will also be provided at the fair. Besides the main educational stalls, there will be food stalls and game shows at the event.

Unilever will be placing a stall called Confidence Zone where students will get to play games and win gift hampers. Broadlink is also making the whole area a wifi zone during the exhibition.

The daily exhibition timing is from 11 am to 6 pm, and the entrance fee is Rs 25 each.

source: republica(2011),"9th Higher Education and Career Fair begins ", republica, 23 June 2011