The China Education Expo 2012 kicked off on 17 October in Beijing, attracting more than 500 overseas institutions and education bureaus from 38 countries and regions across the world, with new national faces stepping into the world's largest recruitment market. The number of national pavilions presenting their countries' academic opportunities reached a record 21, including educational powers like Canada, the US, Britain, Germany and Spain, said Zong Wa, deputy secretary-general of China Education Association for International Exchange. About 20 regional education bureaus from Canada came to attract Chinese students for primary and high school education. As this year's country of honor, Germany brings more than 30 institutions to Beijing, including some elite universities such as Heidelberg University and Technical University of Munich. According to the Ministry of Education, the number of Chinese students studying abroad has seen an annual growth rate of 19.19 percent, jumping from 118,500 students in 2005 to 339,700 in 2011. The number is expected to reach 400,000 this year. The booming recruitment market has also attracted universities from Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Slovakia, even though many Chinese have little knowledge about these countries, reports China Daily