Planning to go to India for higher studies and searching the web for the best colleges there? Search engines will throw up hundreds of web links and provide information about various institutions, fee structures and scholarships. But they cannot provide advice on which university or course is the best.

Help is forthcoming. Career Fair 2011 is scheduled to be held in Kathmandu from July 8-9 at the Hotel Everest, New Baneshwor. The event would be the perfect place for aspiring students to directly interact with representatives of top universities and institutions from India.

Organised jointly by SAPE, a Kolkata-based event management company, and Kathmandu-based IEMES education consultancy, the fifth edition of the Career Fair will highlight higher education opportunities in India for Nepali students. According to the organisers, the fair will have 50 stalls of leading Indian educational institutions and universities and aims to give information about all the academic and professional courses available in India.

According to Sanjay Thapa, founder and managing director of SAPE, this fair will be different from previous editions. “First, some of India’s finest and most reputed universities and colleges are participating this time; and second, the venue has been changed so as to make it more convenient and comfortable for both exhibitors and visitors,” said Thapa. He added that seven reputed Indian universities and 43 colleges would be taking part in the fair.

According to Thapa, Nepali students willing to pursue higher education in India will have ample options regarding courses, places and institutions. “As the participating colleges are from various parts of India and offer diverse courses, students will have more options.”

According to Thapa, the participating institutions are from Karnataka, Chennai, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Orissa, Dehradoon and Sikkim, which are the most admired education destinations in India. “Top notch universities like Amity, IIPM and Sikkim Manipal, among others, are coming this time. Students will have an opportunity to interact with their representatives directly and gather detailed information about them,” said Thapa.

In addition, these institutions also offer scholarships. A total of 50 students willing to pursue engineering, nursing and pharmacy courses will get scholarships in 16 colleges and two universities. “Students should meet the criteria fixed by the institutions concerned to get the scholarships,” said Thapa.

At the fair, students can look for Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes in management, medicine, IT, biotechnology, hotel management, media studies, advertising and mass communication, nursing, environmental studies, architecture, banking and insurance, travel and tourism, animation, fashion, pharmacy and cosmetology, among others.

Nepali students have many reasons to choose India for perusing their higher education, said Thapa. Besides the socio-cultural and geographic resemblance between the two countries, students are also exposed to a variety of career opportunities there, he said. “That’s why India is the perfect higher education destitution for Nepali students,” he added.

According to Thapa, who has been conducting the fair for the last five years, most Nepali students go for programmes in management (especially MBA and hotel management), nursing and engineering. Courses like media science and biotechnology are also attracting students, added Thapa.

The organisers are expecting around 8,000 visitors during the fair. “With counties like the US, UK and Australia adopting tougher visa rules, India has emerged as a popular education destination for Nepali students,” said Thapa. “I am sure the fair will become a success. Last year, we were able to attract 7,000 visitors.”

Besides, visitors can also win fabulous door prizes and gift hampers. A mobile handset will be given away every hour through a lucky draw, and a lucky winner will receive a laptop each day. Entry to the fair is free and the opening hours are 10 am to 6 pm.

source:Giri, Sanjeev(2011),"Career Fair 2011 kicks off today ", The Kathmandu Post,7 July 2011