Media Selection
The objective in all approaches to the media is to address different audiences through different media outlet to maximise the impact. A flexible approach should be use to target the appropriate media outlets. For example, Communications and Marketing Branch may localise a media release for distribution to regional news media drawing upon an initiative at a particular school to improve its appeal to the media serving that particular community (CM-07 2.3).
It is within the area of the various textual communications made by the schools, particularly those with its immediate community, that the most dramatic changes in this educational impressionism can be observed (C. Symes, 1998). These communications which include among other texts, newsletters, magazines, flyers, prospectuses, advertisements, videos and, increasingly, various forms of educational merchandise such as T-shit and umbrellas, plentifully embossed with a school’s iconography, comprise a vision of the school drawing on a selected representation of its culture. In addition to providing information about the school, these communications also serve to structure the social relations that the school has with its community (Keogh 1995).
Through specific stylisation of a schools’ effort and activities, they contain powerful realisations of the developing political economy of education, of its emergent social semiotics as individual schools attempt to enhance their positional advantage (Marginson, 1993a, 1995). Several private schools in Queensland have released video prospectuses, CD-Rom, and certain number of schools have established home pages on world-wide-web. The new technology offers a range of potentials including the possibility of adjusting images to suit the needs of schools. One Brisbane printer, specialising in education work, offers schools the option of lowering the hemlines on girls’ skirts through the re-imaging facilities available on its computers (C. Symes, 1998)!
Responsibility: Principals
In the responsibility part, ten recommendations are listed to follow by principals. In consultation with Communications and Marketing branch, it is the responsibility of principals or their nominees to school communication through the principal (CM-07 4.1 a). The messages from principals in prospectuses are always telling in terms of the way they are framed. Mostly they show photographs of principals presiding over their text, in suitably ornamented and decorated settings. In some context, the definition of excellence that the principal has in mind here, it is plain form to her comments made in the prospectus, and those of other like-minded be afraid that a school of tis status is only concerned with furthering the interests of its elite students. Another important aspect should be mentioned is access media to students. A school principal may consider counselling student on their responsibilities and rights. Students like other citizens, have the right to talk to the media. The potential exists for the media to contact students.
Responsibility: Communications and Marketing Branch
In regard to the media, it is the responsibility of Communications and Marketing branch, in consultation with the Minister’s Office, to provide information on education to parents and the general community. (CM-07 4.3 f)
The marketing management has followed in the wake of the marketisation that various forms of educational ‘exhibitionism’ sometimes occur on an annual basis, and in which schools in the non-government sector participate. In Queensland, for instance, there is an annual Educational Expo held in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast. This Expo coincides with the publication of a comprehensive supplement on private schooling, the so-called ‘Education annual’ in the Brisbane Courier Mail. (C. Symes, 1998)
In the case of private schools, it is not clear that the circuits of capital are necessarily being improved by the advent of these various strategies of marketing management; for throughout the 1990s, enrolments at private schools increased by 6.7 percent (Buttler, 1996) in Queensland, and 11 per cent elsewhere in Australia in spite of large hikes in their fees.
As at universities, in the last few years, a considerable expansion of the promotional endeavour in schools, particularly in terms of the quality and number of documents and materials assigned to it.
Comments to Media
According to he policy, officers are not authorised to speak to the media in certain circumstances.
- a public comment made in a private capacity five rise to public perception that it si in some way an official comment of the government or department in which the office is employed;
- an officer is directly involved in advising on or directing the implementation or administration of government policy, and the public comment would compromise the officer’s ability to do so;
- a public comment amount to criticism sufficiently strong or persistent to give rise to a perception that the officer is not prepared to implement or administer the policies of the government;
- a public comment on Education Queensland administration causes serious disruption to the work place; and
- a public comment amounts to a personal attack.
Present Analysis
In regard to the discussion of the ‘objectives’, ‘Media Selection’, ‘Responsibilities’ and ‘Comments to Media’ in the policy, some of the detailed policies and the current institutional practice on the topics are described. In current position, schools have already taken most of them into practice.
In one sense, the prospectus is the typical promotional document; in another an advertisement writ large minus its hyperbole and rhetorical trickery. A school prospectus, and in this regard it would be different for that a bank or a publisher, typically consists of the following elements, which are either included or omitted depending upon the principal, an overview of the school and its history, its location, and accessibility, a code of conduct or behaviour, enrolment procedures, a description of the curriculum, and a statement on the religious convictions of the school. (C. Symes, 1998) Typically a school prospectus takes the form of a folder or booklet, like school newsletters and newspapers.
In regard to promotional activity, it is the responsibility of communications and marketing branch to identify statewide promotional opportunities;(CM-07 4.4a) Private schools are doing well in this bias. However, both public and private schools could try develop activities and support materials for State Educational Week and provide a recorded telephone message service for frequently asked questions, such as school holiday dates. Sometimes schools focus on the Marketing efforts and neglect the coordinate service part. Additionally, in regard to support for Education Queensland, it is the responsibility of Communications and Marketing Branch to Provide advice on communications and marketing to schools, district offices and central offices and central office units (CM-07 4.6 a) and in addition, ensure that in any media activity, that care is taken to avoid discriminatory language and stereotypes (4.6 e). Discriminatory language and stereotypes are sometimes appears in an advertisement unintentionally, this is another sector for schools to improve on.
Future Framework
Schools are moving to locate education within a decentralised framework of schools competing for educational consumers is to return to the founders of managerialism. In turn, the operational units would compete for a share of the market.
Markets and educational consumption
Schools would be required to go out and market themselves by creating a market, constructing consumers and ensuring that they continue to be founded. It is through the process, the market force encourage a more effective school organisation which in turn will promote greater student achievement. However, before critically examining this assertion it is appropriate to locate the educational market within the proposed organisational context.
Co-ordinated decentralisation
This management strategy while seemingly giving more autonomy to the decentralised units, actually avoided the marked loss of control, loss of authorative communication, and loss of managerial scrutiny which are to be found in large administrative structures. (J. Kenway 1995) Moreover, the illusion of individualised units producing numerous diversified products actually masks the strong central control which is being exercised.
Central corporate co-ordination
Central corporate co-ordination strategies are being coupled to the decentralisation of many quite difficult administrative tasks. Within the framework of centralised policy, school administrations are being conditioned to a decentralised environment. Important in the more specific move to bring greater control and accountability for performance to the education ‘industry’ has been the Australian Education Council (ACE) which is comprised of the ministers for education of the Commonwealth and the states. (P.Watkins 1996)
Conclusion
In this paper I have analysed the policy on marketing education and the present practice on the issue. I have given some suggestions on the improvements in marketing education.
In the context of flowing the marketisation of education, like universities, are increasingly encouraged to make their position in the market, at risk of their continued survival. Private schools have understood this for some considerable time and are now engaged in sophisticated promotional strategies, designed to make genuine claims about the educational particular assets of the schools. However, education is not a field of practice that stands outside its context. In the light of the rapid growth of market forms in education, schools will progress more effectively, and mostly benefit students in the long run.
Reference:
Buttler, (1996, January 23) Private school fees raise to pay teachers. Courier Mail, p.6
C.symes, (1998) ‘Education for sale’, Australian Journal of Education, VOL. 42, August, pp. 133-152
Directorate of Schools Education Victoria, 1993 school of future
Educational annual. (1994, August 28). Sunday Mail Magazine, Suppl
J. Kenway, (1995) Marketing Education: Some Critical Issues
J. Kenway, (1991), ‘Class, gender and private schooling’, in Education, Power and Politics in Australia, ed. D. Dawkins, falmer Press, London.
J. Keogh (1995). Curriculum for homes: A study of a school letter. Language and Education. 9(1), 27-36.
K. Dehli, (1996) Travelling tales: education reform and parental ‘choice’ in post-modern times. J. Education Policy, 1996, VOL.11, No.1, 75-88
P.Watkins (1996), Decentralising Education to the Point of Production: Sloanism, the market and schools of the Future’, Discourse: Studies in the cultural politics of education, Vol. 17, No.1, pp. 85-99.
S. Marginson, (1993a), Education and public policy in Australia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
S. Margison, (1995), Markets in Education: A theoretical note. Australian Journal of Education.
