‘Herald College Kathmandu presents Nagarik Daily Education and Career Fair 2017’ kicked off on Friday at Hotel de l’Annapurna, Durbar Marg.
The fair was organized in association with Kathmandu Don Bosco College (KDBC) and Asian Institute of Technology and Management (AITM), co- sponsored by Hub Int’l Education and supported by Uniglobe College.
The first day of the two-day fair saw participation of students from various levels and disciplines inquiring about different courses, job prospects, participating colleges’ education quality, teaching methodologies and credibility of the universities they were affiliated to. Participating colleges offered courses like Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Master of Business Administration (MBA), Bachelor of Social Work, Bachelor in Hotel Management (BHM), Bachelor in Information Technology and Bachelor of Rural Development, among others.
A group of three Grade XII students from Glacier International College in Hotel Management —Ram Kumari Lama, Poonam Karki and Rashila Parajuli—was seen inquiring about hotel management courses. “We came here to see what the fair entailed regarding BHM courses and learn what more we can do in the hotel management sector in terms of job and education.”
Similarly, Babita Pantha was there with her friends to know about MBA program. Babita, a current BBA student of VS Niketan College, Tinkuney was at the KDBC’s stall. She said, “I inquired about the MBA course in general, including scholarship schemes, and if doing a job simultaneously was possible or not. VS Niketan offers EMBA but it requires additional job experience and so I’m looking for colleges where I can join immediately after I complete my BBA.”
Education and Career Fair 2017
While there were teachers and counselors guiding students in each stall, many students in dress or college t-shirts could be seen at the stalls helping their respective colleges spread information about available courses among the visitors.
Program Coordinator of Nepal Mega College, Madhukar Pandey, was of the view that students were more aware and inquisitive toward their BBA program in particular. He said, “They were interested to know why Mega College, how it is different from the others, what we offer and our fee structure.”
Apart from the educational courses, students also were seen expressing their interest in extra-curricular activities offered by the colleges. Coordinator of Office of Admissions at Thames International College, Dilasha Rana, was seen briefing students about international exposure the college provides and different student affairs programs—both academic and non-academic—that are held in the college premises regularly. “We also provide courses like BRD, BJM, BIM and BSW under the affiliation of Tribhuvan University,” Dilasha added.
Talking about affiliation, other colleges offering courses with international affiliation in Nepal also attended the fair. The British College offers courses affiliated to two different universities—University of West of England (UK) and Leeds University (UK). Marketing Manager at The British College, Anuj Shrestha, observed that a fair number of students were aware and inclined to get international exposure. He also stressed that though the courses look expensive; one should tally to know that the expense is less than what we spend abroad.
Business Development Officer for Texas International College, Santosh Basnet, said people are still a bit conscious about foreign affiliation. Texas offers BBA and MBA with affiliation from Lincoln University (Malaysia) and at the fair, he said, they received many queries that compared the courses offered here and abroad.
Meanwhile, parents could also be seen visiting different stalls with their kids. Nabin Shakya, who was there for his daughter Erin Shakya, was clearing his doubts about BIT course in Herald College and its affiliation with University of Wolverhampton (England). He was in favor of students pursuing an international degree in Nepal. He said, “If colleges offer international level courses here, why go abroad and suffer. Plus the fees are also affordable and far less than what we have to spend when our kids go abroad.”
Nabin added that the fair had been helpful as a one-stop platform for students and parents that want to know about different courses in different colleges. He said such events saved time and effort.
Shedding light on other aspects of the event, Bhupendra Sah, an MBA graduate from DAV Business School who came to the fair seeking apt college for his second master’s degree, shared that such educational fairs have also proved to be unfruitful at times. “Colleges promise something, but the reality is different. If they see a bigger picture and try to contribute to the society, it is fine to organize such events rather than organizing them with a business point of view.”
Meanwhile, Niranjana Neupane, Australia counselor for Hub International Education, said she received more queries on IT and medical courses. But to her surprise, those queries were for the US more than Australia.
In the fair, students can also learn about possible jobs opportunities. Rajju Mulmi, manager of operations at Growth Sellers, said more Grade XII students were seen inquiring about part-time jobs and internship. She said their motive to participate in the event was to hold a student focused interaction and to inform about Career Connect, a one-day job-oriented workshop.
The fair is open to all till Saturday, while the entry is free. Visitors can also win gift hampers through lucky draws.
