"Education is a serious business in the UK," he said at the inaugural ceremony of the three-day Education UK Exhibition 2007 that began at Winter Garden of Dhaka Sheraton Hotel yesterday.

Twenty-eight British universities and colleges are participating at the exhibition to attract the Bangladeshi students for higher education in the UK.

The exhibition organised by British Council will remain open to the public from 3.00pm to 9:00pm today, and from 1:00pm to 7:00pm tomorrow.

British High Commission has a stall there to provide information on UK visa services, as a lot of people have no idea regarding this.

The UK wants genuine students for quality education, Stephen Bridges said, adding that the myth that the Bangladeshis have that the UK visa is very difficult and education there is very expensive is not true.

Referring to the British Prime Minister Tony Blair who put education as number one priority, Bridges said, "Foreign students are the lifeblood of education in the UK."

Inaugurating the exhibition, Dhaka University (DU) Vice Chancellor Professor SMA Faiz said education in the UK is better than most other parts of the world if the students really want to train their minds, build career and fulfil their expectation.

"The education in the UK is also more effective back here in Bangladesh," he said, adding that there are many teachers in Dhaka University who have pursued higher studies in the UK.

Director of British Council Dr June Rollinson said Bangladeshi students are very keen and best performing ones in English Language skills, which creates opportunities for them to pursue higher education abroad.

British Council's Education Promotion Officer Shajeda Khatun told The Daily Star that what the students need for securing a UK visa is genuine documents. "One can even get a visa without facing the interview," she said.

Interested students can easily get the services on these matters from the British Council free of cost, Shajeda noted.