UAE minister of education Dr Hanif Hassan yesterday (November 12) inaugurated the third edition of the Education Show at Expo Centre Sharjah.

The opening ceremony was attended by chairman of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) Ahmed Mohammed Al Midfa, director general of Expo Centre Sharjah Saif Al Midfa, directors of various government departments, and members of the diplomatic corps and trade associations.

The Education Show is a joint initiative of the UAE ministry of higher education and Expo Centre Sharjah and is sponsored by the Emirates Nationals Development Programme (ENDP) with the support of the National Human Resource Development and Employment Authority (Tanmia) and the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI).

"The higher education sector in the Middle East, particularly the GCC region, is currently undergoing rapid expansion and is set for even stronger growth in the coming period," said Al Midfa.

"The GCC States had realised the importance of higher education decades back and had accordingly placed the sector on the top of their priority list for development. In the UAE, the need for providing quality education to the youth was taken up as a strategic challenge several years ago," he added.

This year's Education Show is occupying a total exhibition area of 4,000 sq mt and hosting more than 70 UAE-based and foreign institutions of higher education. On offer are a range of undergraduate, postgraduate, and other higher study options. Exhibitors include universities, colleges, polytechnics, IT institutes, business schools, technical management training centers, medical schools, hotel management institutes, fine art schools, language centers, aviation colleges, distance learning institutes, and other tertiary institutions.

Besides institutes of higher learning, the Education Show is also showcasing student publications, banks engaged in providing loans for educational purposes, professional examination bodies, and immigration consultants.

A majority of the participating institutes are from UK, Malaysia, Germany, Oman, Russia, India and the UAE.

The third Education Show holds several key attractions for the UAE student community. Among them are the country pavilions from India, Germany, and Russia, which are primarily intended at providing easy access to a wide range of higher education opportunities from their respective countries under one roof.

Education Show 2007 is bound to be great interest not just to students but also to working executives who are keen to pursue higher education and advance their careers. Several participating institutes are showcasing courses specifically customised for working professionals.

The show is on till November 15, 2007. It is open to the public from 10am to 1pm and 5pm to 9pm. There are no entrance fees. - TradeArabia News Service