Foreign students aspiring for quality and affordable international degrees now look to Asian countries and Malaysia which is fast becoming a higher education hub in Asia. The United Nations Education Science and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has ranked Malaysia on 9th position worldwide as a preferred destination for international students. The high standard and excellent facilities Malaysian Universities provide have been a key to attracting many foreign students.
Touted as the emerging hub of higher education in South East Asia, Malaysia presently has 21 public universities, 5 branch campuses of UK and Australian universities and more than 33 private universities and over 500 higher education institutions which provide a diverse range of courses in various areas of specialisations.
As many as 12 of the best public and private higher educational institutions in Malaysia are showcased by North Pole International at a two-day exhibition which opened the other day at Marriot Hotel, Karachi, and will continue today from 1:00pm to 8:00pm. The exhibition is also endorsed by the Malaysian High Commission in Pakistan.
The study in Malaysia education exhibition, now in its 14th edition, manages to draw a sizeable crowd, mainly high school students mostly accompanied by their parents looking at the options available in Malaysia suiting their career options and study budgets. While majority of these students are looking for September/October intakes offered by these universities. They were mainly thrilled to see the presence of representatives from each MalaysianUniversity to answer their queries and explain admission procedures.
Earlier, the event was opened by the Counsel General of Malaysia Mr Ismail Mohamad Bkri in the presence of local media and eager students who were waiting in numbers before the start of the show. Speaking on the occasion, the counsel general of Malaysia in Karachi praised the efforts of North Pole International Managing Director Mr Babar Bashir Ahmad who has promoted Malaysia as a top study destination in Pakistan through his events and constant marketing. He also expressed his satisfaction over the quality of these events and branding to ensure people in Pakistan are aware about Malaysian education through the right channel. Talking to the media, he also pointed out the high standards, commitment and satisfaction Malaysian High Education institutes have ensured in the last decade for international students.
“Malaysia is serious and committed to the cause of education and programmes on offer in our universities and higher institutions of learning meet international standards, which is why we have over 100,000 foreign students presently studying in the country.”
North Pole International’s Managing Director Mr Babar Bashir explained that Malaysia had emerged as one of the main education markets in Pakistan due to several advantages and this was evident from the fact that over 4,000 Pakistanis had chosen Malaysia as study destination in last 3 to 4 years. He described affordable tuition fee and cost of living as major factors behind the rise of Malaysian education in Pakistan. “Malaysia has become a preferred destination for students from around the world due to number of factors including affordable tuition, immigration laws, quality options, degrees awarded in collaboration partner universities in UK, Australia, USA, etc, diverse cultures and hospitable Malaysian people.”
He said average yearly tuition fee in Malaysia is $6000 compared to $12,000 and 14,000 in the US and UK respectively while student’s average yearly cost of living in Malaysia is $3500 against $13000-$15000 in the US and UK at average. The exhibition will next move to Islamabad where the event is planned at Islamabad Hotel on 18th of August 2015 before concluding at Falettis Hotel, Lahore, with another two days event on 21 and 22nd of August 2015.
