Have we ever viewed Students as Customers?

YES, when it comes the question of FEES
& NO when it comes to the question of providing not only infrastructural facilities but also the good exposure.

And one has to consider many other factors to answer that question?
Private or Public Institutions
Type of Education
Reservations
Ruling Government

Demographics of People & many more.

My god! what world are your living in. Almost all modern day schools are business mechanisms - take for example - start an admission process - application fees, registration fees, deposits, tuition fees, miscellaneous fees (a hundred other forms of charges levied on the kids in the mask of fees), next the uniforms that have to be bought from the school or school prescribed store, next the notebooks and  text books - either school given or school prescribed ones, next the chartering of the transportation system, it is compulsory that you send your kid on the school bus, school picinics in the name of study tour, school activity makes you buy only the costliest and branded products for your kid and ultimately kid comes home and tells you it was not required or teacher did not ask for it, this goes on till that very thing is damaged or lost. Next school functions , you are asked to buy fancy dresses fo the school show a compulsory even if your kid does not want to participate, there is the extacurricular activity in the form of swimming costumes,karate dress, cricket dress and kit, roller skates, tennis raquet etc. And end of the year you have to pay for the donations so as to enable the child become conscious of the moral activity by helping society in the name of some vague NGO whose name is not found anywhere and they assure fora certificate, badges, trophy etc for collection records. What a way to fleece the poor parents whose only aim is to provide well round knowledge to his kid? There is no censure in these activities and if you protest you are asked to seek admission elsewhere or the kids marks are tampered with. So you become a meek consumer - a useless customer to the school. 

A wise proposal. Thank you Mr. Muralidharanji for the insight. Class room teaching coupled with practical training shall be the teaching mode. The present class room teaching killing the innovation of the students. They are being forced to mug up the content to get good percentages and ranks. This teacher centered class rooms need to be changed. Curriculum shall be flexible at least for the PG students allowing them  to contribute more on their interested subject(s). However, the present examination pattern does not allow this. Exam pattern need to be restructured.

Muralidharanji , your every posting shows your range & knowledge from different field & it is a total knowledge gain experience for people like me.
Please keep it up. & thanks for referral, Sir.

thought provoking should be tried

Very thought provoking indeed!! I cannot agree that this is a sure shot formula for success, but can definitely say that if practiced, the results would redefine the nature of education and the way it is imparted.

Good analysis. If business approach all their target customers this way, then there will be no failure. Thanks for the ref Meena.

Good Analysis !!

A very good insight sir...

Thought Provoking Insight Sir.

To understand we need to what customer is.

In HR Management they say that the employees are their internal customers. So for every organisation employees are internal customers.
So In educational Institutions also professors and lecturers are customers of management and students are customers of Professors and lecturers. Here value is not in the money but in service delivery quality and customer satisfaction. If every professor works towards this goal then the institution will become model one. Only friends from academic line can say how much of these happening in today's institutes. 

Today when I was hanging around the Classics section of Reliance Timeout, I was skimming through either Robert Burke or Epiricus, somewhere it was written "as an academician what is my sole responsibility, it is to make sure that I remove the inertia and resistance in my pupil". 
So whatever is done to achieve this will go a long way in improving our academia. It is a huge effort from the gurukulam type of education we still preceive here though our direction should be towards the Greek academic culture.

No, everyone can't be sold n bought. Its getting business down to school where they dont evn know what explotaitn means. Why shud children become overtly mature so soon? Y cant u wipe out the buness world for thinking like this!!

It is an interesting subject. However, I would like to add that there is a very acute danger to think students as customers (I do know that it is already happening at a rapid pace). I think if you consider students as customers, you become judgmental and thereby partial. You'd probably give more services to the student paying the most and ignore the one that cannot pay enough. That is why in country like Germany, they offer free education to all. 

Nice observation and great insight sir.

Good insight sir. Thanks for sharing this.

Muralidharan nice observation but I would like to add here that in teaching, even being weak, not losers since the demand and supply gap is still huge in our country. So every body gets away with it.

Yes, sir,i would like to add some more things  that if you will analyze, you will find so many institutes are providing too much facilities , the purpose is business-income for institute and the purpose is good learning-conviniency etc. for students.

Today's education are more n more trying to fulfill the demand of students by providing much facilities. They are now understand the demand of students and therefore high growth available in education field (In terms of business).

The other things that today , customize education are available in market for e.g. courses like Diploma in Animation, Diploma in Export-import, Diploma in architecture, Diploma in fashion design, Diploma in Hair care institute (VLCC institute), etc...so, such type of specialization and many private institutes are available in market.

Because, market is now watch to students  as CUSTOMERS....

Thanks sir for referal