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Selling the idea of education- 20-Jul-2015
Gone are the days when the reputation of schools of higher education far exceeded their reach and commercial advertisement wasnt an essential condiment of lure.
Full-page print advertisements showcasing the sprawl of campuses and the extras offered, cher-and-fanciful cultural extravaganzas inviting students of other institutions to spread the word and classy television advertisementsmore often involving the appearance and endorsement of movie personalitieshave all become part of the collegiate promotion mix. Notwithstanding, a number of seats go vacant, especially in the case of private engineering colleges.
It is the unchecked increase in the number of institutions and cutthroat competition in the education market that have made the difference. As if the architectural allure of their sprawling campuses isnt just enough, the private institutions of today advertise on the extraordinary on-campus facilities they offer such as cafeterias, gymnasiums, shopping malls and beauty salons, while also promising on cent-percent placement and hefty pay packages. Along with these are sops like free laptops, foreign trips and generous scholarships. Almost all of these jazzy college advertisements also line up the list of toppers and the popular companies that they claim to have placed their students.
Some of the Indian institutions advertise facilities like retail therapy and luxury fitness services on their admission brochures. For instance, the Lovely professional University in Jalandhar comes out with regular television and full-page print advertisements boasting of a 600-acre campus, 30,000 students and world-class education, along with 40 ATM machines and six bank branches on its campus. It also has a Uni-mall that houses elite supermarkets.
Most of the newborn and not-so-popular Tamil Nadu engineering colleges also boast of top-class infrastructure and cafeterias in their print advertisements. It is also not surprising to watch television commercials of shipping and hotel management institutions featuring movie actors. Such advertising becomes necessary especially when the popularity of the engineering stream is on the decline and the students expect just more than quality education. It also gives these private colleges some teeth in their fight against the established government institutions that are much lower on fees. As national institutions like Sharda and Amity have succeeded in luring their students with world-class cafeteria and beauty salons, many state colleges have started to follow suit and sell the idea of holistic education.
Advertising internship opportunities along with practical lessons as pull-factors is usual, but certain institutions go beyond that. For instance, the Galgotia University in Noida houses a dance and music studio, while the Jain University in Bangalore has a cardio fitness centre, sauna and steam bath and the Munnar Catering College has a Jacuzzi as well. In another instance, the students of the SRM University have access to medical facilities at various places, apart from a 24-hour dispensary which has been set up on its campuses with a doctor on call. Health insurance cover for all students is one of the additional services under its consideration. Also, a mini supermarket functions and nationalised banks run extension counters within its campuses.
With extras like Wi-Fi campuses, air-conditioned classrooms and sports facilities, each of the educational institution strives to stand out and lure potential candidates. As a result, education becomes a commodity and the hard-seller wins the race. But for the students, it becomes necessary to conduct a check of the validity of their claims before choosing an institution.
