The school enrollment dilemma

In today’s competitive educational field, private schools are implementing increasingly sophisticated marketing strategies to attract new students during admission. With the beginning of the academic year, these efforts are particularly visible and exaggerated which can be annoying.

Schools are launching extensive campaigns, from eye catching boards to engaging social media posts, all of them aimed at showcasing their facilities, academic excellence, and extracurricular offerings.

Ahmed Al Balushi, Director of the Licensing Department of Private schools in North Al Batinah, says, “We closely monitor private schools' compliance with advertising and marketing regulations to ensure the credibility of their marketing campaigns. These campaigns often highlight curricula, programmes, facilities, and services offered by the schools. We believe that marketing of a school depends on the students' achievements and the quality of educational outcomes, which the school must work to gain parents satisfaction.“

For a better understanding of these strategies and effects, we spoke with several parents and school administrators.

Asma Saif, a mother of two, expressed mixed feelings about the intense marketing efforts. 'While I appreciate knowing what a school has to offer, I sometimes feel overwhelmed by over advertising. It makes me wonder if the focus is on the quality of education or just getting more students.'

Ali Saif, owner of a well known private school, shared his perspective on the necessity of these campaigns.

'In today’s competitive market, schools need to stay competitive. Parents have many and various options, and we need to communicate our strengths effectively. Marketing helps us highlight what makes our school unique, whether it's our advanced curriculum, impressive facilities, or diverse extracurricular programme. We need to speak loud to be visible for others to know about our unique institution.'

Whereas Laila Hassan, another parent, believes that the real test of a school’s value lies beyond marketing.

'My priority is the quality of education and how my children are progressing. I prefer to rely on other parents' experiences and the school’s reputation rather than flashy and faked ads. To me, what happens during the school year matters more than any campaign.'

Dr Haifa Ali, principal of another leading private school, commented. 'While marketing is important, the foundation of a school's success is its academic outcomes and the satisfaction of its students and parents. We focus on maintaining high standards throughout the year. Our best marketing tool is the success stories of our students. We are working hard to keep connected to all parents to ensure parents’ satisfaction of their achievement and the performance of teachers. That is the real and true marketing target for us.'

The debate between seasonal marketing and performance quality continues among both parents and educators.

Many argue that while well-crafted campaigns can indeed support enrollment in the short term, they must be supported by tangible, year-round results to sustain the school’s reputation in the long term.

As Asma mentioned, 'A school’s true value becomes apparent not in its advertisements, but in the everyday experiences and achievements of its students.'

For parents, the decision may come down to whether they prioritise the promises made in these campaigns or the ongoing performance and outcomes the school can deliver. As the new school year begins, this question remains at the forefront for many.