Third edition of Education Show to be held at Expo Centre Sharjah from Nov. 12 - 15

The Education Show, a joint initiative of the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Expo Centre Sharjah, will be sponsored by the Emirates Nationals Development Programme (ENDP) and supported by the National Human Resource Development and Employment Authority (TANMIA) and the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI).

The coming edition of the Show will occupy a total exhibition area of 4,000 sq. m. and feature over 70 institutes of higher learning from both within the UAE and overseas. Among them will be universities, colleges, polytechnics, IT institutes, business schools, technical management training centers, medical schools, hotel management institutes, fine art schools, language centers, aviation colleges, distance learning institutes, and other tertiary institutions.

Besides institutes of higher learning, the event will also showcase student publications, banks engaged in providing loans for educational purposes, professional examination bodies, and immigration consultants.

A majority of the participating institutes at this year's Education Show are from Oman, Malaysia, Germany, Pakistan, and the UAE. Some of the major institutes participating in the event are Heriot-Watt University, University of Windsor, Petroleum Institute, Sites Power Institute, Paris Sorbonne University, Sharjah Institute Technology, UAE University, Zayed University, Higher College of Technology, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah University, Al Ghurair University, University of Wollongong in Dubai, British University- Dubai,
Skyline College, ETQM College, Dubai Medical College for girls, Dubai Pharmacy College for girls, Emirates College for Management and Information, Middle East Centre, Al Mihad Institute, and the Baghdad Institute.

Other notable participants at the Show include the National Human Resource Development and Employment Authority (TANMIA), Emirates Nationals Development Programme (ENDP), National Admissions and Placement Office (NAPO), Online Trading, and Loop Face.

Other than individual participation from various countries, the Education Show will also be hosting national pavilions from India and Russia.

The Indira Gandhi National Open University, Birla Intitute, Amrita Vishwaa Vidyapeetham, and the Datta Meghe Institute are among the participants in the Indian pavilion.

'The higher education sector in the region holds tremendous potential and is poised for very strong growth in the coming years,' said Mr. Saif Al Midfa, Director General, Expo Centre Sharjah.

'The rapid expansion of the region's higher education arena may largely be attributed to the booming economies of the GCC States coupled with the fact that the regional governments have placed the sector on the top of their priority list for development. In this regard, the UAE occupies the centrestage. Years back the Government in UAE had realised the importance of providing quality education to its youth and had accepted it as a strategic challenge. Today, the UAE, with advanced institutes of higher learning, highly experienced faculties, and some of the most talented students, is considered to be the region's education hub,'

he said.

Mr. Saif Al Midfa further said: 'The coming edition of the Education Show, which is the UAE's most comprehensive and premier education platform for higher studies, will throw open a window of opportunities for UAE-based students wishing to pursue undergraduate, postgraduate and vocational courses in some of the leading educational institutes, both foreign as well as UAE-based.

The Show will not only help visiting students opt for the right course as per his aptitude and aspirations but also facilitate his selection of the right institute taking in to consideration his budget, eligibility, course of study, campus facilities and college environment among other factors. In other words, the event will promote face to face interaction between the student community of the country and representatives of the participating educational institutes, enabling the former to make the correct choice with regard to his course of study and enrollment in the institute of his desire and allowing the later to recruit the most talented students.'

Within the region, the UAE has always always emphasised on the need for a sound and strong education policy that will equip the country's graduates to enter the workforce and encourage them to assist in nation building. With this intention the UAE Government had released a draft policy document outlining a strategy for educational development in the country up to the year 2020 based on several five-year plans. The strategy deals with issues like introduction of the latest information technologies in the sector, trainning of teachers, cooperation between private and public sector in the field, establishment of a council for educational development, raising funds for development of infrastructure in the sector, and emiratisation of the teaching profession among others.

Currently, the private education sector in the UAE accounts for approximately 40 percent of the country's student population while the rest is catered to by the public education sector.

The importance of quality education in the UAE can be gauged from the fact
the UAE federal budget for 2007 allocated Dhs 7.11 billion or 25 per cent of total expenditure to the education sector.

The coming edition of the Education Show, besides showcasing a range of accredited higher study options provided by the country's private and public education sector and foreign-based institutes, will organise a seminar on the sidelines that will focus on several important issues concerning the country's student population.

The Education Show, considering its profile, is bound to attract everyone associated with the UAE's education sector. Among those who would be visiting the event are students, parents, student counselors, higher education policy makers, researchers, teachers, working professionals and executives, officials from local universities and agencies.

The 2006 edition of the Education Show attracted over 18,000 visitors.