UAE students prepare to meet the best of UK education at 'EDUKEX 2007'

EDUKEX 2007 is going regional this year, starting on 17th November 2007 in Abu Dhabi, moving on to Dubai, Saudi Arabia (Dammam, Riyadh, Jeddah) and Bahrain before finishing in Kuwait on 5th December 2007. The EDUKEX 2007 series of exhibitions will showcase courses and programmes from more than 50 UK institutions, of which 21 are exhibiting at EDUKEX for the first time.

EDUKEX 2007 offers students and parents the opportunity to talk directly to some of the leading institutions from the UK and to benefit from these consultations which can cover everything from course and programme content and selection, entry requirements, tuition and living costs, accommodation options and extra curricular activities, to advice on living in the UK and even visas.

Alison Devine, Deputy Director of the British Council in the UAE with a remit for Education UK across Middle East, explains: 'EDUKEX 2007 brings together a large number of prestigious UK universities and colleges, which offer everything from academic and vocational programmes to summer English language courses and A levels. It is the perfect opportunity to meet a wide variety of institutions and compare what's on offer - all with the guarantee of quality that comes with selecting the UK as an overseas study destination. In fact, there are more than 10,000 students from the Middle East currently studying in the UK and it continues to be an increasingly popular destination amongst students in the region.'

The British Council is also offering advice to students to help them prepare for the exhibition and to help them extract the most value from the meetings they have with institutions at EDUKEX 2007.

'Much of this preparation is commonsense but it does require students to consider carefully their priorities, including the study area, type of course preferred and the ultimate qualification that the student may want to obtain. When thinking about selecting an institution, students may want to consider the location in the UK, any specific extra curricular activities that he or she may be looking for, and the local support available to international students. Effective preparation pays off and means that students visiting EDUKEX will be able to make the most of this valuable opportunity and obtain the right information, quickly,' adds Vishal Sacheendran, Education UK Promotion Manager.