The GAP Analysis of Service Quality in Higher Education

Reputed educational institutions have started to choose to beindependent from AICTE and UGC and the parents as well aredistancing their young ones from the government educationalinstitutions. , establishing study centres across the globe, telecasting online classes, designing various programs intended to improve the quality of education like dual specialization, etc.as nothing but of marketing activity. Higher education scenario in India: It is most evident by the factthat India is lagging behind in higher educational services as itcomprises only 6-7% students as against 16% in most of thedeveloping countries. Of this 7% elite academia, 87% of it isconcentrated in three faculties of arts by 42%, science by 20%, andcommerce by 21%, and remaining 13% is absorbed by professionalfaculties like medicine and engineering though the number ofuniversities and students is increased from just 17 and 3.5 lakhs in1947 to 350 and 1 crore respectively in 2007. As well thedependence on government funds has increased from 57% to 82%,while the percentage of plan expenditure on higher education totaleducation has fallen from 22% in fifth five year plan to 6% ineleventh five-year plan (2007-12). The universities of India can be classified in variouscategories like Central universities, State universities, deemeduniversities, private universities, and agricultural universities, nationalinstitutes of importance and open universities. GAP analysis of service quality in higher education 7Ps of services marketing mix: The student is substitutedfor a customer (service taker), while the university is substituted for amarketer (service provider). Product includes degrees awarded and their syllabi, paper exemptions, brand name of their degrees and its history example Ramaiah for its brand name , placement facility, lateral entries, grading given by NAAC, recognition by UGC, AICTE, MCI, NBA or HRD, demand and supply conditions of the degrees offered, etc.
Price: It includes admission and term fees structure, fee concessionsand exemptions, college affiliation fee, exam fees, etc. Place: It includes selection of affiliated colleges based on theirstrengths and weaknesses, and evaluation of affiliated colleges, study.

Promotion: It includes media propagation, CRM, public relationswith government, UGC, NAAC, State Councils of higher educationand research organizations, press meets, and public awarenessprograms. People: This P includes professors, students themselves, otherstudents, and non-teaching staff for which the universities have toplan and implement the number of teaching and nonteaching staff,their qualifications, recruitment and selection, procedure, theirtraining and rewards, and conducting research on needs and wants ofstudents and professors; educating the students about their role andresponsibility, and communicating the cultural values with
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thestudents; number of students, their background and interest andaptitude for the course in which he is studying. Physical evidence: This P includes design, aesthetics, functionalityand ambient conditions of the class rooms and buildings, equipmentin the labs, library facilities, dress code of students and professors,and non-teaching staff, annual reports and calendars of the university,visiting cards of the staff, computer labs, gym, hospitals, banks, postoffices, co-operative stores, etc. Process: This P includes type of the service--standardized orcustomized, number of steps involved in the service processsimpleor complex, and the level of involvement by student, professor, andnon-teaching staff in the service delivery. GAPS in the service quality: Gap 1:University not knowing what the studentexpects. Gap 2: Not selecting the right service designs andstandards. Gap 3: Not delivering to service standards. Gap 4: Not matching performance to promises. Gap 5: Not knowing what the .universitydelivers

Gap-1: Services expected by students minus Universitys perception of students expectations Inadequate research on market research on what the student, andindustry need and want from the university.Even if there is any research on this objective, it is not focused onquality of the services offered in the university.Lack of interaction between university and students, and betweenuniversity and industry.Insufficient communication between students and professors,professors and administrators, and students and administrators.Too many procedural layers between the front-end employees(professors and non-teaching staff) and board of management,such as many redundant layers and sub-layers through head,principal/dean, registrar, and vice chancellor in order to have linkby the students, teachers and non-teachers.Lack of customer relationship management (CRM) with thestudents.

Gap-2: Universitys perceptions of students expectations minus student- driven service designs and standards Lack of student-driven service standards.Vague, undefined design of the services to be provided tostudents, scholars and teachers.Absence of process (delivery of services) management to focus onstudent requirements. Absence of formal system for setting service quality.Inadequate administration commitment towards the services.No systematic process

for the development of new courses to be offered so as to sustain the competition from other established public or private universities from regular or distance mode of services. Gap-3: Student-driven service designs minus servicedelivery. Ineffective recruitment and selection of professors and non-teaching staff.Role ambiguity and role conflict among professors.Inappropriate evaluation and compensation system for professors. Lack of empowerment, team-work, collaborative research, etc. Failure to smooth peaks and valley of demand for certain courses.Over reliance on government funds for running the courses. Students lacking knowledge of their roles and responsibilities. Gap-4: Service delivery minus external communications to students. Ineffective CRM to manage students expectations about servicesfrom the universities. Failure to educate students about their roles and responsibilities. Over or under promising about the quality of education(placements, lab, teaching, etc.) through cues for physicalevidence.Insufficient communication between teaching and nonteachingstaff.Differences in the policies and procedures (structure of syllabi,examination schedules and model papers, infrastructural facilities) among affiliated colleges. Gap-5: Students expectations of service minus student perceptions of service The first impression that the students get while interacting with theadministration and professors over phone or in person during admission in to the university campus.Response of professors and staff (employees) to their failure inservice delivery; to student needs and requests; to problematicstudents; and spontaneity in delivering memorably good or poor service to students. Student assessment of service quality dimensions, such as reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangibles of university education.