Marketing Of Educational Service

INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The marketing of educational programme of tertiary institutions in Nigeria cannot be said to be more appropriate to come under focus at any other later time than now.
This assertion stems from the fact of the importance of the study to the body running, management and administration of our tertiary institution. This study is equally going to be more relevant to the planners and financial to those tertiary schools.
The knowledge of the salient issues in the study will assist the planners and managers of the institution to really understand the extent to which the programmes have been effective.
The customers (student) attitude and perception of them, the impact of promotion on them, people choice, their preference, intense etc. for this knowledge to be more meaningful and well appreciated, we have to see the program (course) as products they are displayed for people to buy and products they are displayed for people to buy and people will definitely make choice and offers start mill, an eminent English scholar, defined education in his 180y address to the university of St Andrews as “whatever we do for ourselves and whatever is done for us by others for the express purpose of bringing us somewhere nearer to the perfection of our nature. It is the culture which each generation purposely gives to those who are to be its successors, in order to qualify them for at least keeping up, and if possible for raising the level of improvement which has been obtained.
Following from the above we will have to see and regard the educational programmes offered by the tertiary institution as products. And the students constitute the market, that is, the consumers – call it the potential customers from the equality, a product – customers relationship must have to be established and developed.
Educational program (course) offered by tertiary institution must be such that should be capable of eliciting high demand in the market place. As product they must posses features and attritonets that are appealing and admirable to convoke the consumer that they (the programe) are good enough for them, in order words, they must posses the rich attributes good features that are characteristics of product in service marketed.
The consumers (customers) must be able in them, those distinguishing attractants and appeals that will actuate effective demand. Such attributes and appeals should ability of the course to provide one with the means of live hood upon graduation take one into the realm of the society both in the present and in future. The course must be capable of providing people with the desired focus and the opportunity for one to find its position in competitive environment. Again, they should be such that could enable on attain self actualization in life.
The prospective students (consumers) of these product must have to exercise caution and be extremely careful in their choice offerings. This is because someone can be made or unmade (ruined) by the choice of course he made. And equally by the amount of moral and mental attitude he/she was able to put into him/her.
Schwarz a great philophical writer opined “a man is a sum total of what he thinks he is” coupled with the amount of moral and positive mental development he is able to put in himself (Schwartz: 1959:10).

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Every organization exist to satisfy the needs and wants of its target market at a profit variously defined. These needs and wants are dynamic. The organization must through its strategic management process adopt to the changing needs and wants. When an organization is able to satisfy the needs and wants of its target market, it stands the chance to make its desired profit and to grow and survive, therefore, in one time or the other an organization must larry out an evaluation of its marketing strategies and performance to ascertain whether they are effective or not in meeting the needs and wants of its customers. Through this assessment the organization would be to discover its shortcomings and thereby make the necessary changes to improve on its efficiency and effectiveness.
The institute of management and technology (IMT), Enugu which has existed since 1973 offers various educational services (course) to its customers (students). The educational service or total product offer are intended to give satisfaction to the target market. Are the customers’ satisfaction with the educational service they receive? Are the employers satisfaction with the performance of IMT graduates? Has IMT educational service contributed in the development of Nigeria?.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The following objectives were addressed in this study:
1. To identify the types of educational services (course) offered by the institute of management and technology (IMT), Enugu.
2. To determine if IMT has adequate physical facilities to attain the required effectiveness in offering of their educational service.
3. To determine whether IMT has competent personnel who render educational service to customers (student).
4. To determine if IMT practices the marketing concepts by actually considering the satisfaction of their customers (students) in the process of offering their educational service.
5. To determine of the educational service offered by IMT are in turn with the development needs of Nigeria.
6. To find out how employers rate the quality of service received form the graduates of IMT.
7. To determine how students perceive the total fees (price) paid for educational service received.
8. To determine if IMT has good image in the assessment of the public; which will help in attracting new customers (students) in its educational services.

HYPOTHESIS
The researcher was conducted by using the following hypothesis.
1. The current IMT students are not satisfied with total package of educational service received.
2. Employers’ rating of IMT graduate performance is very satisfactory.
3. The customers (students) are dissatisfied with the current high price (fees) paid for educational service.
4. The effectiveness of IMT in marketing its educational service is limited by inadequate physical facilities.
5. IMT’s reputation is giving high quality educational service has diminished in recent times.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The findings and recommendation of this study is expected to benefit the customers (student).
The employers, the government and management of the institute of management and technology, Enugu.
Customers purpose service in order to satisfy their wants and needs. An organization may offer service to its target customers but they may not actually be satisfied. Where this becomes the case, the organization will have to modify its offspring or rise better marketing mix to satisfy its target market. In this regard, this study will be very useful to establish whether the institute of management and technology (IMT) is actually satisfying it target customers with its educational services offer springs. Any start comings which the study may reveal where to be rectified or remedied the customers desire or wants will be given to them.
Moreover, If IMT fails to satisfy its customers, sooner or later the institute will acquire bad image and will certainly lose potential or prospective customers. Also the institute will not be performing its expected role in making contribution to the development of Nigeria.
The government of Enugu State which owns the institute will not be achieving its objectives. If IMT does not market its educational services effectively. After spending or inventing amount of money in running and maintaining the institute, the objectives of the government should be realized, this study therefore will help the government to know what to do in order to enable the institute to better satisfy its target market.
The study will equally reveal how IMT graduates are performing in their jobs based on the rating of their employers. Graduate are being turned out to meet the developmental needs of the nation.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This study was limited to the institute of management and technology (IMT), Enugu to determine its effectiveness in marketing educational services to students. The study focused on both current and graduated students who have consumed or are still consuming the service offerings (course) of the institute. The employers of IMT graduate surveyed where limited to those in Enugu metropolis.

LIMITAITON OF THE STUDY
This research like any other study is not without its limitations. The researcher came up with some findings and made his recommendation in the lights of the following limitation.
There was the problem of difficulty of getting adequate numbers of IMT graduate in Enugu metropolis. The researcher therefore used the few number of graduates who were accessible.
In another vein, these was the problem of locating organizations where IMT graduates were actually employed and are working only the few organization which the researcher could identify were surveyed.
There was also non-cooperative attitude shown by some respondents. Some of the question administered to staff and students were not returned, thereby posing some limitation and handicap to the investigation.