Malaysian, Singaporean educational institutions top demands
KUCHING: After receiving an overwhelming response in December 2016, the EduQuest Education Fair was back again recently, attracting over 500 school leavers, secondary school students and their parents, with more than 30 universities and colleges participating.
EduQuest Education Services is a student placement centre with more than 15 years of experience.
According to EduQuest education manager Michael Yii, the response at the fair clearly showed that parents and students have started to plan for their further studies. The education fair was a good opportunity for them to seek for the latest information.
“This year is going to be another challenging year for most parents due to the current economic downturn. Many parents who initially planned to send their children overseas are now considering local options. These students may study for 2- 3 years in Malaysia before transferring to another university overseas. Besides that, some foreign universities have set up branch campuses locally, which means students are able to complete the entire foreign degree in Malaysia. Furthermore, many Malaysian private universities/ colleges are providing high quality courses which are on par with foreign universities,” Yii said.
Some students are particularly fond of the institutions in Singapore, mainly due to the shorter duration of studies. An SPM graduate may complete a degree programme awarded by a university in Australia, UK and US, in just 2 years and 3 months in Singapore.
On another note, popular courses among students are A- Levels, South Australian matriculation, university foundation, medicine, pharmacy, engineering, law, business, accounting, finance, hospitality, tourism, architecture and design. Some students also enquired about non-traditional courses like traditional Chinese medicine, real estate management, film production, culinary arts, aircraft maintenance, physiotherapy and occupational safety and health, indicating that students are now more knowledgeable in terms of course and career choices.
During the event, students had the opportunity to take the GEN Further Study Psychometric Test. Conducted by GEN Education Group, this test was aimed at guiding students to choose the right course for the right career based on their interests.
In order to ease parents’ burdens in financing their children’s further education, a few universities/ colleges waived their application fee when students submitted applications on the spot. Staff of Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi Nasional (PTPTN) were present at the event to explain to parents and students about the requirements and procedures to apply for education loans. Furthermore, various institutions were offering attractive scholarships, bursaries and incentives for deserving students.
Since its inception in 2002, EduQuest has helped thousands of students in achieving their dreams to further their studies. Besides providing free professional advice concerning more than 150 universities/ colleges in Malaysia and overseas, EduQuest supports students with accommodation arrangements, airport pickup, scholarship and financial aid applications, etc. Another service it provides is the pre- departure briefing so that students are well informed and prepared before leaving for their next destination.
Information on further study is available on the EduQuest Facebook page - Facebook.com/ EduQuestKch. For further queries, contact EduQuest Kuching Office at 013- 8200230/082-241310.