Basic education, whether public or private, is not a service like any other - since it involves an important social and, at the same time, individual role. Therefore, the question "Who is the school's client?" is extremely complex, and can be analyzed from different points of view.
Here at LIT, the topic was debated in an online event with the presence of our CEO and creator, professor José Cláudio Securato , PhD, consultant in innovation and educational management Paulo de Camargo , and José Ernesto Bologna , psychologist, writer and consultant for companies and schools in innovation.
The idea that schools have customers emerged in the 1980s and 1990s, when, in the face of several new economic plans in Brazil, the relationship between educational institutions and the community came into conflict due to the lack of regulatory frameworks. The solution was to establish contracts that brought with them the notion of schools as service providers.
The importance of choosing a school
For Paulo, answering this question involves denmark whatsapp data thinking mainly about the parents' decision-making process when they decide to place their children in a particular institution. This decision is made taking into account both sociocultural aspects and the families' dreams and fears regarding their children's lives.
This choice is also influenced by narratives about what constitutes a good school. A good example is the belief that the best institutions are those with high academic performance - but successful results in entrance exams do not guarantee that this place is the right one for all students. Therefore, Paulo emphasizes: "When people and institutions choose each other, it is something complex, it is a decision made in an intimate forum that also meets social demands."
The customer as an abstract idea
For Bologna, this question can be viewed from a more philosophical perspective, thinking, for example, of the school's client as the past (in the sense of forming citizens based on traditions and customs) or the future (the formation of those who will build the next generations). In summary, he summarizes the answer as follows: "Ultimately, the school's client is the civilizing process, the one in which society seeks to improve itself, which is something human."