Page 1 of 11
European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 07 Issue 04
April 2019
Available online: https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 1
Marketing of Education Services
Preeti Chhillar
Extension Lecturer(commerce)
Govt College Gohana
preeti.dahiya02@gmail.com
Abstract
In the past, the marketing of education in India had little significance. This was because
of three reasons. The first was that the demand far exceeded the supply of service. Second, it was
the people’s perception that it was the duty of the government to provide this service to the
people. Last, but not the least, since the Indian economy was more dependent on agriculture,
people ignored the importance of education. The situation still remains the same in most poor
and lower middle-class families where earning their daily bread takes priority over education.
However, over the years, radical changes have been taking place in the arena of educational
services. The reasons for this transformation are plenty. The growing awareness of the
importance of education among the masses, corporatization of education, innovations in
technology and privatization of educational services has led to dramatic changes in the field.
Present paper based on secondary data focuses on the marketing of educational services.
Introduction
Gone are the days when students joined the nearby school or college and decided to earn
a bachelor’s degree to secure jobs. Today’s youth are keen on having a good career and making a
mark. The importance of having a good education and building a career is the dream of most
youngsters. Their parents also share their dreams. Also, they have so many options to choose
from, the subsidized and government owned institutions, private as well as foreign educational
institutions (schools, colleges, universities). These changed perceptions and the changing market
scenario have provided the required boost for the otherwise neglected area of the marketing of
education. This has forced the education providers to take a re-look at their service offering, and
Page 2 of 11
European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 07 Issue 04
April 2019
Available online: https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 2
redesign the service so as to be competitive in the marketplace to earn more revenue and expand
their market. The Present proper discuss about the various classifications and characteristics of
education services and also the role of education in India.
Classification of Education Services
Most education services are targeted at the consumer segment, though education services
are offered to corporate customers too. This can also be a basis for classification of education
services. Education can basically be classified into primary, secondary and higher education
based on the level of knowledge imparted. Another classification is made based on buyers’
intentions and motives in using the service. For instance, the motive in pursuing a course in
management could be either to get a job or to gain knowledge. Though most service seekers
pursue this course for the sake of getting a job, there is definitely a segment of people whose
motive is to gain knowledge.
Services can also be classified into people based services and equipment based service.
Education is a people based service, where the role of the instructor is invaluable and his
interaction with the student, inevitable.
Market for Educational Service
Basically the entire market of education services can be divided into:
Primary Education
Secondary education
Higher Education
Education for people with special needs
Corporate education
Adult Education
Vocational education
Physical education
Page 3 of 11
European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 07 Issue 04
April 2019
Available online: https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 3
Spiritual education (Yoga. etc)
Professional education
Characteristics OF Education Services
Intangibility
The biggest challenge for marketers of education comes in the form of the intangibility of
the service. The students and/or their parents evaluate the service offerings by analyzing the
course contents, buildings and other infrastructure facilities. Faculty experience, career prospects
for the course, activities conducted by the institute, industry-institute interface and placement
assistance on completion of the course are analyzed for vocational, secondary and higher
educational services. Since most of the attributes are not visible, the marketers attempt to
tangiblize the offering to gain a competitive advantage and penetrate the market.
Inseparability
In the case of education services in the conventional form, the service production,
delivery and service consumption are inseparable. It means that there is no role for
intermediaries in the process. As the instructor produces and delivers the service, the student
consumes it simultaneously. This necessarily limits the scale of operations.
Heterogeneity
Standardization of the service offering is not possible in the case of the education service.
The quality of service delivery varies from customer to customer and from time to time. This is
because of the importance of the service personnel’s role in producing and delivering the service.
For instance, one instructor’s way of teaching may be different from that of another working
