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Public Relations plays a very critical role in almost every Educational institution. According to the National School Public Relations Association, “Educational Public Relations is a planned and systematic management function to help improve the programmes and services of an educational organization. This indicates that activities of educational public relations is a two-way affair involving communication between the institution and its audiences.”
Educational Public Relations Officers (PROs) assist students and work with parents and various groups within institutions. They distribute newsletters containing information about campus events; build and maintain ties with alumni, lecturers, staff and students.
PRO’s have SEVEN major roles to perform for any educational institution which are as follows:-
These aims are used in any kind of educational institution be it schools, colleges or senior colleges offering professional courses. They seem to apply in large measures to such institutions, although their relative importance may be different.
Nowadays, Higher Education institutions are becoming increasingly aggressive in their marketing activities to convey an image that is favourable and in all aspects beneficial to their public, be they prospective students, employers, funders, etc. The educational institutes try their best to create and maintain a very positive image amongst the minds of the people. They do so through measures like press conferences regarding any new development in the institute, press releases concerning the activities, branding of the institutes, maintain contacts with the people who can benefit the organisation in any way. It includes the who’s who of the society, the media people and also their alumni. They organize large scale events and hold public meetings. The institutions nowadays believe in the trend of branding, which is done through specially designed logos that convey the mission and vision of the institute. The logo becomes the identity of the organisation. Just like any other organisation, the educational institutes also have their ups and downs which they try to cover up through CRISES MANAGEMENT and they profoundly depend on their Public Relations Officers (PROs) to tactfully manage all these affairs.
I agree with Farhana Siddique answer.
The PROs key role will be to educate the public in general about the value provided by the institution through the programs offered and thereby encourage and promote the options available to as many suitable students as possible.
Public relations (PR) is a distinctive management function which helps establish and maintain lines of communication between an organisation and its publics. PR uses the editorial space within print publications, websites, television and radio shows to communicate a brand’s message. Essentially it is about managing reputation. Career opportunities exist in two areas: consultancy and in-house.
Public relations consultancies offer advice and services to a wide range of organisations. Most consultancies offer a wide range of services and areas of expertise, while others may specialise in a particular area such as consumer PR, corporate PR or public affairs.
Positions can also be found in-house in public, private and non-profit making organisations. In-house PR officers will be responsible for both internal and external communications and, while the skills required are the same as those for consultancy, in-house practitioners can and need to develop an in-depth knowledge of their organisations and its business environment to a level not possible for an external consultant.
Work activitiesTravel: during working day can be frequent. Working hours: can involve regular unsocial hours. Location: mainly in towns or cities throughout the country. Opportunities for self-employment: commonly possible (can be self-employed or work on a freelance basis).
Typical employersThe usual career progression is from account executive to account manager to account director. In some workplaces other levels and terms are also used, eg client manager.
SalariesSalaries will vary depending on employer and location.
Salary guidelines for the Republic of Ireland are available on the Public Relations Institute of Ireland website.
In Northern Ireland, starting salaries range from £16,000 to £25,000 and rise to £30,000 with a few years' experience. Senior management positions, such as PR director or head of corporate affairs, can range from £40,000 to £100,000.
Specific degree subjects requiredOpen to non graduates and graduates of all disciplines.
Other relevant degree subjectsThere are a number of postgraduate courses available.
TrainingA number of PR consultancy firms in the UK run graduate trainee schemes.
Tips for applicationFor anybody going into the industry it is important to be aware of social media and other communication tools such as blogs, wikis and podcasts. Try to get work experience in any ‘communications’ orientated organisation – PR consultancy, design company, advertising agency or marketing department.
Skills and qualitiesSee
https://gradireland.com/careers-advice/job-descriptions/public-relations-officer
http://oureverydaylife.com/functions-public-relations-officer-3409.html
People usually trust a PR agency more than an advertising agency as they know the latter has been paid to glorify a client. The job of PR professionals is to highlight the positive about their client, including the background of the institute, courses offered, achievements of its students and faculty etc.
PR experts builds an image of the educational institutuion by spreading and circulating its positive information and policies. Nowadays, online PR tool is a common tool for communication and with the help of social media it is easy to share various updates and activities related to the institution.
Role of Public Relation(PR) in Education sector
The Educational sector is a very large sector in World. It includes primary and high schools, under-graduate and post-graduate colleges, B-schools etc. Though a large part of World is still rural, the education institutions at that level include small government and private schools and vocational colleges.Today, good public relations are vital to the successful functioning of any educational institutional. Public relations in education institutes at lower levels are almost non-existent. The schools never go in for conferences or promotion. The awareness is not very high. The only PR tool they end up using without realization is promotion through word of mouth. There are NGOs who acquire the PR techniques to raise awareness in villages and small towns regarding such institutes and the importance of education.In urban areas, however, education has become a crucial factor for survival. In the last three years, higher and specialized education has topped the trend. Higher education has its own challenges. Critics call it too expensive. University faces competition for students and declining resources. Universities usually have three charges to fulfill: Teaching, Service, and Research. Therefore, the role of PR comes in to picture. Institutes use PR techniques to promote themselves and gather brand recognition. This gives them better visibility and attracts crowd. Also, Alumni play a very crucial role as they have their own interest in their Alma matter.The work of public relations is to create a favorable image of any organization. In such cases, PR benefits the small educational hubs but the customers they attract are at a loss. Maintaining community relations applies for those activities dedicated to upholding the image of the institution or maintaining and promoting understanding and favorable relations with the community or public at large.It also requires funds although the expenditure is much less than any advertising tool. Research says that the general public would trust a public relation activity more than any advertising which they know has been paid for.Role of PR in Educational InstitutesEducation Institutes use public relations both internally and externally.Internal PR stands for PR within the organisation and its employs. External PR stands for maintaining favourable relations with the public.Events are held within the organisation for the members to build a good rapport amongst themselves and smoothen communication. Faculty/Staff Handbook, Faculty meetings, Faculty luncheons, News releases e-mailed to F/S & posted online are other tools to facilitate internal PR.The purpose of internal PR is to clear communication about organizational intentions, activities and performance, improve sense of cohesion among employees, and circulate adequate task-related information, positive information regarding an organization’s ability to provide challenging and meaningful tasks.The external PR of any organization is when the institute holds several conferences, sends out press releases, manages events and keeps itself much in the public glare for better promotion and more recognition. Institutes these days maintain special ALUMNI Relations Cell through which they keep in constant contact with their students who have passed out and are doing well in the industry. They do it for the purpose of a better brand name and to ensure decent placements to the upcoming batches through their contacts.And with, internet taking the centre stage for all communication, the role ofPR here becomes precise yet demanding. Use of social media sites, blog, pod-cast etc is the tools available on the PR professional at the fingertip giving them a wide scope of reaching out.Future TrendsToday the public is already online, and the internet allows anyone to be a publisher. Public relations practitioners must learn how to use the internet efficiently to address these issues for their clients.The future of PR in education sector says that the clients will expect more. They would want exclusive access to information as media is transforming. There would be information flow in every dimension. People would ask for transparency in information. Public relations specialists are struggling to recognise the impact that the internet, and its associated communication tools (such as, virtual communities), will have on how communication occurs. Reaction is slow to the changes being made in business and culture.The five major trends in the next three years that impact public relations are as follows:• More individual publishing (blogging)• More noise (that is, the amount of information people are bombarded with each day including advertisements and so forth)• More media outlets• Greater direct communication and• Public relations becoming more accountableSummaryPR is a vital element of the institutions’ relationship with the outside world. It is considered that PR has seven major roles to perform for any educational institution:• Expanding the number of applicants to the institution• Helping the institution to become better known• Helping the institution to gain an enhanced reputation• Influencing decision makers to smile upon one’s institution• Improving internal relations• Maintaining good relations with the community• Maintaining positive relations with the alumniThese aims are used in any kind of educational institutions be it schools, colleges or senior colleges offering professional courses. They seem to apply in large measures to such institutions, although their relative importance may be different.The use of the term public relations has so far been deliberate, however it may be a little misleading for use in educational institutions because of its historical link with the commercial world and its negative public connotation of trying to mislead, deceive and create false impressions. Although the times in this regard have changed but the thoughts still remain the same. “Create an image for your company or your competitors will do it for you.” In the higher education sector this statement by Keever is equally true; as competition for students increases and funding decreases, making it necessary for universities to create and maintain a distinctive image in the market place.Higher education institutions are becoming increasingly aggressive in their marketing activities to convey an image that is favourable and in all aspects beneficial to their public, be they prospective students, employers, funders etc.The educational institutes try their best to create and maintain a very positive image amongst the minds of the people. They do so through measures like press conferences regarding any new development in the institute, press releases concerning the activities, branding of the institutes, maintain contacts with the people who can benefit the organisation in any way. It includes the who’s who of the society, the media people and also their alumni.They organise large scale events and hold public meetings. The institutions nowadays believe in the trend of branding, which is done through specially designed logos that convey the mission and vision of the institute. The logo becomes the identity of the organisation. Just like any other organisation, the educational institutes also have their ups and downs which they try to cover up through crises management. This is a time when the PR department is on its toes and works its best.
ROLE IN SCHOOL:
A public relations officer uses all ways of communication to build, maintain and hold a good reputationof school . Reputation arises from what you do, what you say and what others say about you. - Public relation officer informs and assists board administrators with news media and public relations/community matters as maybe requested.- Raises and implements communications plans as requested.- Writes news releases, media advisories, newsletters, speeches and television .- Serves as staff coordinator for public relations and special events development for the school- Serves as spokesperson for the school divisionand responses to media and public requests for information.- Conducts and develops periodic training in communications/public relations development.
PRO has got a prominet role in Educational Institution with regard to deal with Parents as well as the students and at the same time to gain business and fame for the institution. His/her right move brings lot of fortune to the institution and at the same time, the wrong move takes away the fame of the institution. So PRO had to be a very talented and the right person to manage with the relations and to derive good business and fame for the institution. Thanks.
Thank you Mrs. Farhana for your invitation,
Pro in the educational institutions plays various roles, as follows:
1- Assist students, parents, and other groups.
2- Communication between the institution and its audiences.
3- Organizing the relationship between the institution and the other relevant agencies.
4- Monitoring the public opinions about any issues.
5- Advising the management on policy issues and communication strategies.
6- Liaising with the public and respond to inquiries.
7- Liaising with the media, responding to inquiries, and arranging interviews with journalists, and preparing and news releases.
8- Writing, editing and arranging production of print materials such as newsletter, speechs.
9- Organizing special events such as open days, visits, exhibitions and functions.
10- Conducting internal communication courses, and workshops.
The above are the main rules of pro officer in brief, but in fact there are many additional duties for pro.
Best Regards,
republic relations officer played a major role in the educational institution on the school and college and university or any educational center level.This device functions that the link between the organization and the public, it is that connects the information accurately and honestly to the public inside and outside the institution, as he discussed the complaints and desires that relate to the work of the Foundation in various branches to remove what is on them of fraud or negligence, and remove the causes, and reporting to officials about general issues that require an important treatment, or years in search of reasons to seek treatment and take the means by which guides the research to achieve the public desires. Organize the means to respond to the notification to the administration of important questions, or special in any matter, and to develop a system for interviewing staff in working hours. Or interviews with the selection of new staff to organize training programs for staff, particularly new.
Thanks for your invitation, Agree on your explanations.
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