A four-day educational fair organised by the Educational Consultancy Association of Nepal ( ECAN ) and presented by Kantipur daily that kicked off on Thursday witnessed an overwhelming participation of people.

The seventh iteration of the expo was inaugurated by former Prime Minister and CPN-UML Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal amid a programme at the Exhibition Hall in Bhrikutimandap, Kathmandu.

Addressing the inaugural session, Khanal said Nepal has potential to become an education hub if the government works to improve the quality of education in the country. He claimed that promulgation of a new constitution through the Constituent Assembly will give the academic sector a new lease of life.

ECAN not just has a role to send students outside the country, but also use its international relations to promote both the academic and the tourism

sectors of the country, Khanal said. He called on all education consultancies to provide accurate and appropriate counselling services to students so that they need not have to face problems abroad.

“Though the number of colleges and universities is increasing here every year, they have failed to cater to the need of the hour, compelling students to go abroad for higher studies,” he said. “The state should create an environment to ensure that those students will return back to the country after completing their higher studies.”

On the first day, according to the organisers, the fair received a crowd of over 18,000 students, most of them waiting for SLC and Grade 12 results. While the SLC graduates were interested in acquiring information about the benefits of studying the subjects of their choice, those waiting in the wings for Grade 12 results were inquiring about management and technical courses available in various countries. “The participation is exciting. We are expecting the number to swell up in the next three days,” said ECAN president Rajendra Baral.

The four-day fair offers career counselling and provides students aspiring to study abroad and their parents with information about national and

international educational institutions. It brings together Nepali consultants,

students, parents and international academic institutions on one platform, according to the organisers.

The expo is a place for students and their parents to get information about several academic courses available in and outside the country, making it easier for them to make the right decision.

The event is expected to receive over 150,000 footfalls.

source:the kathmandu post,28 June 2013