ATHENS - The 12th Greek International Exhibition on Education was launched in Athens on Friday with the participation of more than 250 exhibitors from 12 countries across the world, including China which takes part for second time with 23 stands.

Holland is the honor country at the exhibition this year and the Dutch group Yuri Honing Trio entertained visitors at the Dutch stands.

"Because by offering opportunities to our youth to live and study in foreign countries, we eventually enrich our cultures," Ambassador of Holland to Greece Kees van Rij stressed during his speech at the opening ceremony on Friday evening.
 
But the 21 Chinese universities which participated the exhibition also attract the vivid interest of visitors.

"China seemed such a far away place until a few years ago. Few Greeks would think to go and study there, but things have changed dramatically and the idea seems more and more attractive, because the Chinese universities have so many things to offer. From what we heard they turn to leaders in the new technologies field," Konstantina and Aggeliki, two young Greek students of new technologies who gathered information on continuing their studies in China, told Xinhua.

"Chinese universities today attract interest, because they offer high quality services. And we, Greeks could learn a lot from Chinese, from their mentality, their discipline", Alexis Kaniaris, CEO of the organizing company Europartners, explained, speaking in a radio program in national radio station NET earlier on Friday.

"The current economic crisis has shown that our educational system needs to change and support the turn to a new model of production and growth for Greece", the Greek General Secretary of Youth Ioannis Livanos, stressed during his address at the exhibition.

Despite the economic crisis which has hit the country hard in the past few months, Greece remains the leading country in Europe in student immigration based on number of students who study abroad by percentage of population of countries, according to the latest statistical data from the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development.

At least one in ten Greek students choose a foreign university. Some 51,000 Greeks were studying abroad last year. The cost is enormous also. It is estimated that Greeks pay more than one billion euros per year for studies in foreign countries.

The phenomenon has a history of many decades in Greece, but has stepped up during the past three decades. Most of Greeks study in Britain, the US, France, Germany, but also eastern Europe countries and now explore the possibilities of studying in Asia also.

More than 6,000 people visited the exhibtion on the first day of the three-day event and at least 15,000 more are expected during the weekend.

The exhibition is organized under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of Education, the General Secretary of Youth and the City of Athens.