Abdul Razak (right) visiting a booth at the “Jom Masuk U” education exhibition at the Arena Larkin Stadium in Johor Baru.
EDUCATION fairs are useful in helping students make an informed decision about the courses they want to pursue upon completing their secondary studies.
SMK Medini student Ian Imran Mat Zamzam said the “Jom Masuk U” exhibition, organised by Higher Education Ministry at the Arena Larkin Stadium in Johor Baru, offered a wide variety of courses for aspiring undergraduates as it gathered public and private higher education institutions under one roof.
The 18-year-old, who is waiting for his Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia results, said he hoped to pursue a degree in hospitality as he was interested in the hotel industry.
(From left) Wei Qi, Le Xuan and Li Bing arrived at the exhibition on a bus arranged by their school.
“Although I have set my sights on the course I want, I am unsure about which higher education institution to enrol in, so I decided to attend the education fair with my friends.
“Having both public and private institutions under one roof makes it convenient for those looking to continue their studies.
“I have several brochures to take home and discuss my options with my parents,” he told StarMetro.
Ian Imran, who aims to become a hotel manager some day, said his parents were supportive of his decision to pursue a course in hospitality.
“My parents emphasise the importance of having at least a degree to increase my employability in the future,” he added.
Form Six student Wong Wei Qi hopes more veterinary courses could be offered by higher education institutions to provide more options for aspiring veterinarians like her.
Ian Imran (red jacket) inquiring about courses at one of the booths at the education exhibition.
“I am slightly disappointed that only two universities at the exhibition offer veterinary courses, so I will continue looking for higher education institutions that offer a suitable course for me,” she said.
The 19-year-old said she was thankful that her school SMK Taman Johor Jaya 1 arranged three buses to transport the students to the exhibition.
“My best friends (Chua Le Xuan and Leong Li Bing) are also with me. We initially hoped to enter the same university, but it is difficult to achieve that because our interests are different.
“Le Xuan is interested in becoming a nutritionist while Li Bing is considering medicine. Both of them are also taking home several pamphlets to help with their decision-making,” said Wei Qi.
Meanwhile, Higher Education Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Abdul Razak Jaafar, who launched the “Jom Masuk U” exhibition, said the programme was organised in six zones nationwide this year.
“We gathered 20 public universities, polytechnics and community colleges; four public skills training institutions and close to 30 private higher education institutions.
“Various government agencies such as the Public Service Department and National Higher Education Fund Corporation are also involved in giving visitors better access to the financial assistance available to them.
“The exhibition uses an informal and relaxed medium for the students, teachers and parents to gain access to higher education opportunities and I hope they can truly benefit from the programme,” said Abdul Razak.
He encouraged the school-leavers to utilise the UPU Online platform to apply for courses in public higher education institutions before phase two of the applications ends on June 12.
The Johor Baru leg of “Jom Masuk U” ran concurrently with the Sarawak leg at a mall in Bintulu on a recent weekend.
The exhibition was held at the same time the following weekend in Universiti Malaysia Sabah in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, and Universiti Teknologi Mara’s Sungai Petani campus in Kedah.
The Terengganu leg took place on June 3 and 4 at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu followed by the Central leg at Universiti Malaya on June 4 and 5, where the closing ceremony was held.
