Basis and Function of Public Relations in Educational Institutions

Basis and Function of Public Relations in Educational Institutions Schools as social institutions organized and owned by the community must meet the needs of their community. Schools have a legal and moral obligation to always provide information to the community about their goals, programs, needs and conditions, and conversely schools must clearly know what the needs, hopes and demands of their community are. The more advanced the community's understanding of the importance of educating their children, the more vital it is for schools and the community to establish cooperation. This cooperation is intended for the smooth running of education in schools in general, and to improve student learning achievement in particular. The relationship between educational institutions and the community is essentially a means that plays a very important role in fostering and developing the personal growth of students in schools. In this case, schools or educational institutions are an integral part of a larger social system, namely society. Schools and the community have a very close relationship in achieving school goals, therefore the relationship between schools and the community must be fostered into a harmonious relationship. Education is one of the strategic public sectors to improve the standard of living of the community. Law no. 20 of 2003 on the National Education System regulates the role of society in education. In fact, the existence of education cannot be separated from society. Government policies on education require public understanding and support. Likewise with school programs, which cannot be run optimally without the support of related stakeholders. Therefore, the function of Public Relations is considered important in education. The function of public relations in education includes at least seven points below: 1. Developing public understanding of all aspects of the implementation of educational programs in schools. 2. To be able to determine, what are the expectations of the community towards schools and what are their hopes regarding the goals of education in schools.. 3. To obtain sufficient assistance from the community to their schools, both financial, material and moral. 4. Creating a greater sense of responsibility for the quality of education. 5. Involving the community cooperatively in efforts to solve educational problems and improve cooperation between schools and the community.. 6. Strengthening the goals and improving the quality of life and livelihood of the community. 7. Encouraging the community to establish relationships with schools. Thus, the function of public relations in education is closely related to the role of the community in education or what is hereinafter referred to as community participation in education. Educational institutions need to involve stakeholders in decision-making because they actually have an interest in educational institutions. The existence of educational institutions is also directly or indirectly influenced by the will of the public, so that by maintaining good relations with the public, it can encourage public contribution in institutional decision-making. The importance of the public relations function in educational institutions is to ensure support for the programs to be implemented. In addition, it is also important for institutions to know the impact of programs or policies made by institutions using a public perspective. The basis for the importance of public relations is the importance of creating two-way communication so that the public supports the efforts of the institution. The basis of educational public relations can also be viewed from the needs of the educational institution itself, which include: 1) As a means for schools to introduce themselves to the wider community about what is being and will be done 2) As a tool to spread assistance from the community 3) As a means to obtain assistance from the community 4) As a means of opening oneself up to receive criticism and suggestions 5) Fulfilling human curiosity in the context of the instinct to always develop oneself