The influence of public relations promotional strategies on student enrolment in Tanzanian tertiary institutions

Fredrick Elias Sanga

doi:10.51867/AQSSR.3.2.42

Authors

Fredrick Elias Sanga Tanzania Institute of Accountancy, Tanzania Author https://orcid.org/0009-0000-0133-9143

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51867/AQSSR.3.2.42

Keywords:

Advertisement, Enrolment, Public Relations, Strategies, Tertiary

Abstract

There is a deliberate effort taken by the government of Tanzania to increase enrolment in tertiary education, shifting from an elite education model to a mass education system to meet the demands of a growing economy; this makes the student enrolment process a crucial aspect of educational institution management. This study assesses the influence of public relations promotional strategies on student enrolment. The study was guided by framing theory, which posits that the way information is presented – its context, emphasis and wording – shapes how audiences interpret, process, and act upon it. The study employed a cross-sectional research design. The target population was students, public relations and administration officers from a tertiary university in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. The study used a sample of 120 respondents from tertiary institutions in Dar es Salaam, employing simple random and proportional sampling methods. Data were collected through questionnaires, and quantitative data were analysed through SPSS ver. 21 (IBM). The study findings revealed that media relations, government relations, community relations, customer relations, and marketing communications show significant influence (p < .05), which implies that those are strong strategies used by PR to influence student enrolment. The results showed that promotional strategies for public relations had a positive and significant effect on student enrolment at tertiary institutions. Public relations promotional strategies have improved their understanding and made them feel emotionally engaged. This understanding has made them confident and improved their trust in the institution and social well-being. Therefore, tertiary institutions' management needs to increase efforts in terms of PR competence and financial issues to enhance student enrolment.

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