A British Education Exhibition will be held on January 31 in this western China metropolis to provide Chinese who wish to study in the United Kingdom with accurate information.

More than 40 UK colleges and universities will attend the half-day exhibition, according to a press conference here Monday.

The exhibition, to be hosted by the Cultural and Education Section (CES) of the British Consulate-General here, will advise visitors on matters including applications, tuition, course selection and even medical insurance. The exhibition will be free.

Matthew Burney, director of the CES, told the press that the exhibition will provide people who want to study abroad with a chance to communicate directly with the representatives of UK schools.

More than 100,000 overseas students study in the UK every year,among whom at least 8,000 are from China, CES sources said.

"Such exhibitions bridge the educational institutions of both Chongqing and Britain. Organizations from both sides have been strengthening their co-operation," a local official said.

This will be the second such exhibition to be held here since the UK established its consulate-general in Chongqing in 2000.

( Xinhua News Agency January 21, 2002)