The Role Of Public Relations At The Ghana Education Service

Abstract

This study examined the role of public relations at the Ghana Education Service (GES). It focused on the activities of public relations, looked at how public relations can help to accomplish the mission and vision of GES and also examined factors which hinder the practice of public relations at the GES. Moreover, the study examined the views of stakeholder publics on the practice of public relations at the GES and how the GES factors the views of these stakeholder publics into its mission and vision. The study delved into what can be done in order to improve the practice of public relations at the GES. Excellence theory was the only theory that underpinned the study. The study adopted the qualitative research methodology and gathered data via in-depth interview with public relations practitioners at the GES and focus group discussions with stakeholder publics of GES. The study revealed that the common public relations activity at the GES is writing because all practitioners indicated they perform writing activities. Other activities undertaken by practitioners in GES were media engagement and crisis communication. The study found that at the GES not all public relations practitioners were regarded as management members. This situation hinders the public relations practice because some practitioners are not able to make their opinions known to management of the GES especially at the district level. Furthermore, practitioners at the GES are faced with the challenge of financial constraints and misinterpretation on the concept of public relations. This impedes the work of practitioners. The study was limited to the Greater Accra region; only public schools in the Greater Accra region were used so it recommended that future studies could look the other political administrative regions of the country. Future studies could also obtain responses from teachers and parents of private schools to help broaden the role that public relations plays at the GES.