Photo: YAP CHEE HONG/The Star
PUTRAJAYA: It's a family affair at the Star Education Fair 2024 as students made their way to the IOI Grand Exhibition and Convention Centre with their parents and siblings in tow.
Ameera Ruslan, 18, and her family were among the early birds, arriving at 10am for the first day of the fair (May 4) to explore the many tertiary and postgraduate study options available.
Arriving an hour before the doors were slated to open, Ameera was keen to check out paediatric programmes offered by some of the country’s top institutions.
"I'm a pure science student, and I've always wanted to pursue a field in paediatrics from a young age. Helping young children has been something I truly love, which is how I also cultivated my passion towards this profession.
"I’m looking forward to checking out the programmes offered in Universiti Malaya (UM) since I heard they’ve got a good programme structure there," she said.
She added that her twin brother, Muhammad Ameerul Ruslan, 18, also tagged along to check out the booths at the fair.
"I think this fair could be a good avenue for me to dig a little deeper about the courses I can study. We’ve just finished our Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations and are awaiting our results," said Muhammad Ameerul.
Their mother, Azleen Abdul Rahman, 49, said this was the first time the family was attending the fair.
"We knew there were going to be a number of reputable universities exhibiting here today.
"We have also applied to a few other universities through UPUonline, but also wanted to explore other other options here and see what would suit them both best," she said.
Yew Yuen Ning, 18, who also came along with her family all the way from Ipoh, was eager to find out more information about biotechnology.
"I'm interested in becoming a biotechnologist. I came here knowing there would be booths where I can find out information from institutes that offer the course," she said.
“Im a pure science student and I love Biology. I'm looking to check out the biotechnology course being offered in Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR).
“My older brother also studies in UTAR and he’s also here to provide me with guidance,” she said.
Muhammad Razeeq Hamsyari, 23, walked among the early attendees at the fair, along with his younger sister and brother, eager to learn about the communications postgraduate programmes.
“I graduated in public relations in 2022 and I've always wanted to earn my doctorate degree ever since.
“This fair could be a good avenue for me to see what are the available courses in the field that I'm interested in.
“I'm also particularly interested in listening to the university representatives giving information about their courses,” he said.
Organised by Star Media Group for the first time this year, the two-day fair, which ends tomorrow, offers various tertiary study options and financial assistance such as study loans and scholarships, with a total of 43 institutions, occupying 71 booths.
The main exhibitors are the alliance of four government-linked universities (GLU) comprising Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP), Multimedia University (MMU), Universiti Tenaga Nasional (Uniten) and Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL).
Besides local institutions, the fair drew the participation of international institutions, namely Health Careers International Australia (MWT); Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Singapore; Zhejiang University International Business School, China; and South East Technological University Ireland.
Among the highlights at the fair are the exciting prizes up for grabs.
Participants stand a chance to win the Realme Pad (RMP2102), Buds T100, Watch 3 and smartphone (C51) during the Register & Win sessions.
Don’t miss out on the interesting exciting activities happening today including student performances and talks on the latest in engineering, particularly in oil, gas and the energy industry.
There will also be a session on post-SPM options and an inspirational talk by an education influencer.
The fair is open from 11am to 7pm. Admission is free. Door gifts await the early birds.
The Star Education Fair, which is in its 37th year, is one of the country’s pioneer education exhibitions. It has continuously provided visitors with educational programmes ranging from pre-university, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate to professional and vocational courses from various local and international institutions.
For details on the Star Education Fair, visit facebook.com/stareducationfair or email edufair@thestar.com.my.
