Visitors at the Star Education Fair at the Setia SPICE Convention Centre in Bayan Lepas, Penang.
GEORGE TOWN: There is a saying that it is always better to prepare an umbrella before the rain and many parents did just that by visiting the Star Education Fair at Setia SPICE Convention Centre here.
Many of these parents brought their children to explore their tertiary education options at the fair, which ends on Sunday (June 5).
Engineer N. Saseikumar, 47, brought his 16-year-old daughter Joanne Nathaaniaa Kumar, to familiarise herself with her future career options.
“Joanne is our only daughter and we would like to know more about pursuing a Foundation in Science which can lead her to medicine and life sciences degrees.
“We got to know about the Star Education Fair through Facebook and decided to drop by to have a look.
“It is indeed a fruitful and eye-opening experience for parents as we get to know about the career options available.
“We went through many booths which provide medicine courses and of course, we want the best for our daughter.
“We decided to give her more exposure by bringing her here so that she can have an idea about what career paths to take in the future,” he said.
Standing the chance to win a smart band is indeed the icing on the cake.
“We were told about the 'Snap & Win' contest where all we need to do is take a photo with the Instagram frame provided, upload the picture and provide the best caption together with the hashtag provided,” he said.
Visitors stand a chance to win an Honor Band 5 if they take part in the “Snap & Win” contest.
They can post their pictures with the Instagram frame provided at the fair and come up with the best caption. - just don't forget to add the #stareducontest hashtag.
Lecturer Zaki Samsudin, 44, took the opportunity to visit the Star Education Fair while on holiday in Penang due to the long weekend.
“We are actually from Kuala Lumpur and decided to check out the fair here today since we are free.
“My twin children just finished their SPM examination early this year and we are looking for options for them to further their studies.
“This is the first time we visited the Star Education Fair and I was surprised at the choices provided here.
“The educators are very friendly and they explained the programmes offered and options provided patiently.
“My daughter is interested in animation-related courses whereas my son is more inclined to mass communication programmes.
“Penang is indeed the place to study mass communication courses as it is filled with cultural and heritage elements,” he said.
Zaki added that he was happy that there were many scholarships as well as bursaries that are available for students.
Meanwhile, students got to experience the first metaverse classroom in Malaysia at the booth by Ri-Yaz College.
Hotel management final year student G. Vathana, 20, could not hide her excitement as she tried on the headset and consoles.
“This method of teaching is an eye-opening experience for me.
“Through this, we do need to stress about attending online classes.
“By putting on the headset, we get to study in a virtual auditorium setting which feels like a physical classroom,” she said.
A total of 42 universities and colleges are participating in the exhibition.
The 113-booth fair sees not just local educators, but internationally reputed institutions from as far as Ireland, the United States, Germany, China and Vietnam.
The Star Education Fair is one of the country’s pioneer education exhibitions and has continuously provided visitors with a wide range of local and international courses to choose from.
The fair prides itself on being a one-stop education exhibition for both foreign and local exhibitors offering educational programmes ranging from pre-university, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate to professional and vocational courses.
Visitors can attend Education Talks before deciding which pathways to pursue.
Besides, those who register themselves at the booth before entering the fair will also stand a chance to win a Samsung Galaxy Tab A7.
Those who participate in the Education Talks might go home with a Vivo Aromatherapy.
Sunday is the last day of the fair. Admission is free and it is open until 7pm.
For details, call 017-231 1789 (24-hour hotline), email edufair@thestar.com.my or visit facebook.com/stareducationfair.
The Star Education Fair Penang Edition 2 will be held on Dec 10 to 11, 2022.
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