Thanks @Sandra for your valuable comments. Do you not believe that customers` and business relationship is profit focused and not public service focused? Will this approach not hinder in growing professionals with a zeal for humanity service being above the personal gains?

I agree with Sandra Adcock's comment. Regards

Actually Prof. Gabi Reinmann and me have written a paper on the questions. We (actually she) came up with with a typology of different perspectives on students https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230675715_Studierendenorientierung_Wege_und_Irrwege_eines_Begriffs_mit_vielen_Facetten). Unfortunately the article is in German, so it will not be of much help here. Basically we think that seeing students as customers can be ONE perspective but one that does not fit educational contexts very well. Teacher-student relation is always in a way hierarchical (even if teachers are facilitators rather than instructors), as students have to be assessed (A huge problem e.g. in executive education - can you have students fail?) It can, however, be applied e.g. to student services (administration etc.). In some contexts, we also think of students (at University) as citizens, shaping the University and participating a great deal.

Article Studierendenorientierung: Wege und Irrwege eines Begriffs mi...

I believe that the concept of "Students as Customers" emerged initially in the capitalistic society with commercialization of education. No doubt treating students as customers complied with business like obligations where customer is supreme and all efforts are made to attract customer aiming more profit. Many latest technological advancements may also be attributed to this concept where energies of the youth were concentrated on the market oriented technology. But unfortunately as Dr. Tobias has mentioned that this concept eliminates the traditional hierarchy between learners and educators. The trainers are forcibly more focused on the hard selling things which their customers as well as market requires. The areas such as moral ethics, mutual respect, adhering to values, doing justice are not touched due to their least direct relation with the market oriented education. Consequently we see a disorganized world with riots, ethnic, racial, geographic and religions riots are very common and the entire humanity is in deep pain though progressing technologically and scientifically.

I understand your sincere concern but view being 'customer focused' with an entirely different lense. I feel that we all must be customer focused. Because we believe that we cannot be Muslims unless all others are safe from our hands and tongues and that we must like for others what we like for ourselves. This is my definition of being customer focused. When we work for others we must be careful that we never hurt them with our tongues or our hands. In this case it will be our students.

We will be hurting them if we donot ensure holistic development of all their inner potentials and their character. Both of the above mentioned aspects of education are extremely important to ensure a peaceful and secure future for the learners.

Again 'sell' to me is to make something so valuable that 'customers' want to have it. They decide to even spend money voluntarily to attain it.

So, if the teacher is 'selling' character, morality, citizenship etc then the learners would be willingly making it part of their personality. It will not be forced on them externally. They will take it willingly and will be internally motivated to enact the learnt traits or characteristics.

@ Sandra, First of all I wish Lord bless you the best of health, luck and success, Thank you very much for your detailed comments which are blessing because these have come from US where dollar is the focus at personal as well as national levels. It does not mean that peoples or governments from other parts of the world are not profit oriented. But the only difference is hypocrisy. In business affair, I find the Americans better as compared to other nations because Americans feel no hesitation in declaring their dollar oriented customer approach. Peoples of the developing countries are also following the US style of businesses where "customer is always right" and the "customer is supreme",money can purchase every thing", 'Every thing is for sale", "emotions are secondary and don't fit in business management model". I find even worse situation in business sector in the third world countries where businessmen are earning dollars by manufacturing adulterated food, fake medicines, looting the peoples but still claiming that they believe in humanity, human service, values, sacrification. Even in the education sector, they are focused on development of the skills which are easily marketable even without professional ethics, The behavioural science subjects, history, literature and religious subjects which groom the future generations to grow as Soft hearted Public Service Agents, have been almost removed from the curriculum. The reason is that we see professionals focusing money and an endless race of garbing dollars have started and the humanity is crying across the world irrespective of colour, race, religion and geography. You have rightly said that " A teacher ,instructor, or such should have somewhat of a traditional hierarchy between learners and educators.". I do agree with you Sandra that businesses are purely profit oriented and also the definition of customer is also a problem in the present debate. My humble views are that if not possible in other business, the definition of Customer in education business may include some humanistic components because education business trains the future leaders who are if not properly trained, go on thinking as how to initiate wars among other generations just to sell guns, bombs, tanks, war planes, warships etc. in those countries. Such leaders while aiding the poor countries impose conditions which make the countries even more poorer. Such leaders even don't spare their own nations and grab money by imposing more taxes in the name of self created threats. Under such circumstances, I believe that the Students may be taken as "Future Leaders" instead of "Customers" who may be sold only those things which are useful for humanity and future of this world. Their right of purchasing dangerous products may be curtailed. This is because all that glitters is not gold. At the end of the day we see Bill gates also reached the same conclusion that human service is supreme and he has reserved 80% of his wealth for charity. We should learn from such experiences where "profit" approach is wrapped in covering of "Pain for humanity".

@Rahila Alam sahiba, Thank you very much for your comments. I think we are on the same page with only difference of terms usage. You have rightly said that "So, if the teacher is 'selling' character, morality, citizenship etc then the learners would be willingly making it part of their personality. It will not be forced on them externally. They will take it willingly and will be internally motivated to enact the learnt traits or characteristics". My only submission is that the term :selling" may be substituted with some appropriate word especially in learning and Teaching. Here I do agree with @Sandra who also believes " that a teacher ,instructor, or such should have somewhat of a traditional hierarchy between learners and educators. Why must this result be "trainers are forcibly more focused on the hard selling things which their customers as well as market requires?" I really salute Sandra`s approach because he lives in a society which is basically capitalistic and dollar focused instead of emotions, religious mix up. I really appreciate Bill that a teacher ,instructor, or such should have somewhat of a traditional hierarchy between learners and educators. Why must this result be "trainers are forcibly more focused on the hard selling things which their customers as well as market requires?"gate model of business. We should redefine the definition of students as customer to produce future Bill gates who are healing the humanity and striving to make this world a better living place. I am sure in our Quran or Hadith as well as even in Bible, the students or knowledge seekers have been defined purely on human serving grounds instead of profit orientation.

@Sandra, I salute you and your father who have found truth in a society where such things are secondary and even not more important point for discussion. I am sorry to disclose that when we talk something different from majority, we are considered 'fool", "Non progressive", "Orthodox", "Unrealistic", "day dreamer" and laggards. But we must feel pride to listen these words because most of the worlds great leaders, reformers and spiritual healers had been given such slogans by the lusty peoples. Today truth is prevailing and the world`s reformers are alive and will remain always alive.

Very apt question should be consider students as customer. I extend it to calling a student as a coomodity sold by the educationists through the industrialist mode and business mind. Education is becoming a commercial activity. There is no welfaristic and socialist approach , it is pure capitalism