Gulf News Edufair surpasses expectations, say exhibitors

Bouquet of options

Dania Al Agha, Senior Administrator, Admissions Department, University of Dubai, elaborated on the premier institution’s programmes for Bachelors, Masters and PhD, in the fields of Business, IT, Engineering and Law. Speaking to Gulf News, Dania said, “In Business we have seven different majors, including new subjects and courses. We also designed the courses based on market requirements. For engineering, we are offering a Computer Engineering, accredited by the Ministry of Education, and we happened to see a lot of interest among students visiting Edufair in this particular programme. Similar interest was seen in our LLB programme, a dual programme between University of Dubai and University of London. Today, I am of the view that the University of Dubai is meeting market requirements through the programmes we currently offer at the University. Besides, University of Dubai is also offering up to 100 per cent scholarships, so I urge students to capitalise on this opportunity and visit us at Gulf News Edufair.”

Wala Alfares, Senior Student Enrollment Officer, Rochester Institute of Technology Dubai, saw considerable interest among students visiting the fair and looked forward to connecting with them.

“RIT Dubai hopes to connect with prospective students to ensure they have an overview on what the institution has to offer,” said Alfares. “As an American university, we believe students would be very interested to know more about our scholarship programmes. RIT Dubai offers up to 50 per cent scholarships on a yearly basis across its campuses around the world, and with the amount of interest that we see among students in the UAE looking to study abroad, I feel RIT Dubai offers excellent prospects. We look forward to welcoming visitors during the duration Gulf News Edufair and hope to see many of them coming through our portals soon.”

Study abroad options expand

The exhibitors at Gulf Edufair do not include educational institutions alone with immigration consultants also part of the mix to present students and parents a 360 degree view on planning the education journey including study abroad options. Clint Khan, Director of leading immigration consultants, Y-Axis, and GN Edufair Platinum Sponsor, observes a shift in student preferences regarding study destinations. Speaking to Gulf News at Edufair, he said, “While Canada was previously popular, we are currently noticing a significant demand for courses in Europe and New Zealand. This shift applies to both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Along with engineering programmes, we often see students pursuing courses in healthcare and related professions. Germany has particularly emerged as a popular destination for higher studies. Gulf News Edufair is a great platform to showcase new trends in higher education.”

Well-organised event, say parents

The parent community visiting Gulf News Edufair had some extremely positive takeaways from the first day of the exhibition. Dubai-based parents Jayaram Iyer and his wife Dhanya Jayram, for instance visited Edufair on the first day with their daughter, Anagha Jayaram, a grade 12 student at JSS Private School and thought it to be a fabulous initiative on the part of Gulf News. “We were specific about what we were looking for and we are happy to say that we managed to pick up the required information within the first 15 to 20 minutes of us visiting the fair,” said Iyer, commending Gulf News staff as well as exhibitors and support partners on managing the logistics for GN Edufair.