GEORGE TOWN: Ask questions, no matter how silly they may sound to you. The thousands of visitors at Star Education Fair 2022 evidently took that adage to heart.
The second and final day of the fair at the Setia SPICE Convention Centre here saw students, parents and even teachers coming from throughout the northern region to meet representatives of tertiary institutions and ask questions.
Universiti Utara Malaysia International School principal Nik Nazlin Nik Mohammed Yusoff brought her students to the fair yesterday after her children had a great time exploring study options on the first day.
“I am a parent as well as a school principal, so I thought it would be great to bring some of my students aged 15 to 17,” she said.
She added that 12 of her students and three teachers travelled from Sintok, Kedah, using a school van.
As for sales engineer Edmond Wong, his son enrolled in a computer science programme yesterday.
“We came on Saturday to ask about the programmes. After thinking about it overnight, my son decided to sign up for the course,” he said.
IPK College course adviser Ben Lim, one of the exhibitors, said among the most sought-after programmes were accountancy, international business and computer science.
Exploring options: Visitors at the Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology booth during the Star Education Fair at the Setia SPICE Convention Centre in Bayan Lepas. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star
Penang Skills Development Centre principal lecturer Loh Hean Seong said its German Dual Vocational Training was the most asked-about course.
“Visitors were interested in our Diploma in Mechatronics programme and skill-based course (precision machining),” he said.
Aimst University registrar Dr KM Sundram said many parents asked how foundation programmes could help their children get into degree programmes in dentistry, medicine and pharmacy.
Segi College Penang principal Cheah Gaik Chiam was happy with the turnout and sign-up rate.
“Many students are interested in information technology, digital marketing and business computing programmes,” she said.
Also at the fair was VinUniversity from Hanoi, Vietnam. Its marketing and admission head Nguyen Hoai Anh said a few students signed up for its engineering and computer science courses.
A total of 42 universities and colleges participated in the Star Education Fair.
The 113-booth fair saw not just local educators but also 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.
Held for 35 years, the fair prides itself on being a one-stop education exhibition for foreign and local exhibitors offering educational programmes ranging from pre-university, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate to professional and vocational courses.
The Star Education Fair Penang Edition 2 will be held from Dec 10 to 11.
