To provide an opportunity for aspiring students to meet and talk directly with education providers, the Consortium of Bhutanese Education Consultancies organized a two-day Bhutan International Education Fair in Changlimithang in Thimphu which will end today.

The Chairperson for the Association of Bhutanese Education Consultancies (ABEC), Palden Tshering, said that he is happy to see the relationships that are formed in the education industry.

He said that undergraduate studies for many took place in India. Those ministers that served under His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo had the benefit of earning their degrees in India.

“My graduation follows suit in those footsteps and adapted to those development that took place soon after,” Palden Tshering said.

He said, “I am a product of an India undergraduate degree followed by diploma and legal studies that took place in Bhutan and master’s degree from Australia.” He added that so much has changed in the last 73 years wherein, in the early 1950’s, education in Bhutan was primarily focused on Buddhist study that took place in the monasteries.

The Director for Bhutan Qualification and Professional Certification Authority (BQPCA), Duba, said that exploring to pursue higher education abroad is often a difficult choice for people to make. It requires a lot of information to make a good decision such as which course to opt for, which country to choose and which higher education institution to decide.

The Director also said that education fair such as this would provide a platform to help aspiring students and their parents and guardian to make informed decision. This, he said, will bring higher education, institutions and aspiring students under one roof.

He further said that this platform would offer various choices for aspiring students and give free counseling and required information apart from providing an opportunity to students and their parents to meet representatives of the higher education institution in person to interact with them. Further it will help to discuss study options and clarify on admission requirement available program of study, scholarship fee structure, accommodation, application process and much more.

Meanwhile, the two-day education fair saw a total of 30 Colleges and universities of which 16 are from India, two from Bangladesh, four from Canada, seven from Australia and one higher education institution from Bhutan.