Strong turnout for education fair

RIGA - The traveling exhibition ‘The Days of International Education’ came to Riga on March 19 - 20, after passing through Vilnius and on its way to Tallinn. This is the largest such exhibition of its kind, representing various educational institutions from the different countries, including from the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy and Hungary. The fair was organized by the Baltic Council for International Education, in cooperation with one of the leading educational agencies in the Baltic States, the Meridian Group, and supported by the British Council and the British Embassy in both Latvia and Estonia. In Lithuania, there were 32 representatives, in Estonia, 26, and in Latvia there was the largest number of representatives, with 43.

This annual fair offers free public access, allowing students and others to meet with more than 40 participants and receive detailed information about their educational programs. It was possible to get information first-hand, from the heads and representatives of foreign educational institutions in attendance. The representatives provided information about higher education abroad, preparatory programs for university, courses for foreign languages for youth and adults plus productive leisure activities abroad for school-age children.

Additional information was available on grants, credits and the possibilities to receive free education. The fair was held at the Reval Hotel Latvia.
The Baltic Council’s academic program director Olga Govor commented that, “By [our estimates] this exhibition was visited by about 5,000 people. The exhibition has received many positive responses from participants. This year the increasing quantity of students is interested not only in studying for a bachelor’s degree, but also a master’s degree.”

One of the main purposes of the Baltic Council is to give the younger generation access to information. Govor says that the level of knowledge of our younger generation is quite high, partly as a result of this.
It is highly recommended for all young people in Latvia to study abroad, for several months up to a couple of years, at the high school or university level. Studying and living in Western Europe offers the chance to gain experience and understanding in other cultures, and to develop personal skills and talents.