Amin Abbas

ABU DHABI: The 16th edition of Najah Abu Dhabi was held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) from Oct. 16 – 18 with the participation of both local and international universities and institutes including Japan.

Shigeto Aoko, General Manager for Japan International Cooperation Center (JICE) in Abu Dhabi, told Arab News Japan about the participation of the Japanese pavilion at Najah Abu Dhabi event: “We have invited 8 Japanese universities (such as: Kyushu University and Joshibi University of Art and Design) to this year’s edition of Najah Abu Dhabi and we have been participating in this event since 2013. The event this year was similar to 2019 edition in terms of attendance of the visitors especially the students who wants to get more information about education in Japan.”

Aoko said many students were more interested in engineering courses, like space and mechanical engineering in Japan than any other courses.

“We have about 70 – 80 Emirati students now at different universities in Japan after the number decreased because of the Covid -19 pandemic and we are looking forward to get more students from the UAE and to reach them out after the event,” he added.

Khaolua Bensaida, a member of academic research at Kyushu university and member of J-MENA project told Arab News Japan that the project aims to increase the number on international students who are coming from the Middle East to study across 30 universities in Japan.

“We are based in Kyushu university, which is one of the top national universities in Japan and among the top ranked 200 universities in the world and we offer various English- based programs for both ungraduated and graduate students,” she said.

Bensaida also said students were mostly interested in space engineering, mechanical engineering and computer science.

For the last 15 years, Najah has developed its reputation as the definitive destination for equipping visitors with information on admissions, counselling, scholarship opportunities, study abroad options, alumni experiences and more.

“At Informa, we believe that Najah Abu Dhabi and Najah Dubai are a great tool to support students in building their roadmap to a successful future. This is in line with fulfilling the Ministry of Education’s National Strategy for Higher Education 2030 that seeks to provide future generations with the necessary technical and practical skills to drive the economy in both public and private sectors,” said Dima Al Sadi, Najah’s Event Manager.

This year’s edition of Najah’s exhibitor line-up included universities from the UK, Canada, USA, Germany, Spain, France, Hungary, Cyprus, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and more. Participating international universities included King’s College London, Western University, University of Waterloo, McMaster University, Virginia Tech, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and University of Debrecen just to name a few. All the leading universities from the UAE are also showcasing their offerings at the fair.  Among them are Zayed University, UAE University, Higher Colleges of Technology, Sorbonne University of Abu Dhabi, University of Sharjah and Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences.

A packed itinerary of talks designed to feed curious minds has been lined up at the Success Hub in each of Najah Abu Dhabi and Najah Dubai. Expect presentations on studying and living in the UK, Canada, Germany, Spain and Hungary as well as topics such as The Future of Work and Education, Digital Transformation: Expectations versus Reality, Alternative Careers: Computer Games, Hacking and AI, Career Opportunities in the US after Graduation, Portfolio Tips for Applying to Art School, and more.