From the beginning of civilisation, education has paid a key role in people’s lives. Initially, it was learned individuals who imparted their knowledge in campuses where students went to study different disciplines.

The earliest recorded centre of higher education in India was Takshasila which existed from at least the 5th century BCE – though it is debatable whether it could be regarded a university or not. The oldest university-system of education in the world in the modern sense of university was the Nalanda University. Modern, western-style education became part of Indian society with the establishment of the British Raj.

Today, education in India largely falls under the control of both the Union and State governments. Most of the universities in India are controlled by the Union or State governments. Various articles of the Indian Constitution provide for education as a fundamental right. Now, Parliament has enacted the Right to Information (RTE) Act.

Education in India is provided by the public and private sectors, controlled and funded at three levels: central, state, and local. Education has advanced to today range from pre-primary, secondary, senior secondary schooling to graduate and post-graduate, technical and information-technology studies.

Thus, education has become a full-time business now. Those running educational institutions all over India are doing their best to increase awareness of their establishments and the benefits they offer students at every level – from pre-primary schooling to post-graduate university and technical levels.

Educational advertising:

The most common and cost-effective means of achieving this objective is by advertising in newspapers at the local, regional and national levels depending on their needs and budgets. The advertisements can be published in the daily pages as well as special weekly supplements like Education Times with the The Times of India (on every Monday) and HT Education with the Hindustan Times (on every Wednesday).

There is virtually no limit to the size of the advertisements placed in newspapers. These could range from even classified and classified-display advertisements to quarter- , half- , and full-page spreads. These can be in black-and-white and colour – with dramatic visuals highlighting special features that need to be emphasised. While some institutions may choose national – and even international – newspapers, the majority of smaller establishments would prefer small, local and more cost-effective publications, where – as mentioned earlier – the classified and classified-display ads would serve their localised needs much more effectively.

Given above is a glimpse of the vast scope for educational advertising in newspapers.