Education UK Exhibition opens
By Saad Saud

ISLAMABAD—The Deputy British High Commissioner Simon Butt opened the Education UK Exhibition in here Friday.
In his opening remarks, he said: “I am pleased to represent the British High Commission (BHC) at the Islamabad/Rawalpindi opening of this prestigious annual event. “Representatives of around 60 UK higher education institutions have come to Pakistan to exhibit in Lahore, Islamabad/Rawalpindi and Karachi,” he added. The BHC works closely with the British Council, Pakistani academic institutions and other stakeholders here in Pakistan to promote education in the UK. The British Prime Minister’s education initiative aims to attract 100,000 new students from all over the world to the UK in 2006, said a press release issued here by the Commission.
Numbers from Pakistan are growing all the time. In the year 2000 the BHC issued visas to 1,150. Last year, it was 6850 (when students comprised 13% of all applications). So far this year the BHC has issued almost 8,000. The British Council Student Select Scheme aims to facilitate the visa issuing process for Pakistani students and there is a dedicated student team in the BHC visa section working to support the scheme. Further education in the UK offers a high quality product from a huge range of prestigious institutions and disciplines, in a diverse, vibrant, multi-cultural environment.
With a Pakistani origin community of around 800,000 in the UK students from Pakistan will feel at home. Study in the UK is not just about learning; it is about living too. Students enjoy new experiences and broaden their horizons. The British government makes a limited number of scholarships available in a range of disciplines - including MBA, law, economics, management, public administration, development studies and human rights. Thirty Chevening scholarships have been awarded this year. Details are available from the British Council and BHC web sites.
The British High Commission wants students who are genuinely committed to study in the UK, and capable of succeeding. Unfortunately, the BHC still gets numerous fraudulent applications. Simon Butt went on to explain some simple rules to help improve people’s chances of obtaining a visa to study in the UK. “Do not apply at all unless you have an unconditional offer of a place at a British institution of learning. Don’t attempt to obtain a student visa by deceit, you will be found out and your visa refused,” he said
“We have many good candidates who sadly are not able to prove that they have sufficient money to cover the costs of their studies and who are therefore unable to obtain visas. “Make sure you provide full details of the finances available to you when you apply for your visa. “Some applicants are disappointed after they have paid agents to obtain a visa.