ISO 21001 Certification

Education helps people to improve not only their living standard but also their community and helps us to become valuable citizens of society. It enables individuals to develop skills, broaden their horizons and gain a better perspective in life. Education is based on specific standards which are clear and measurable and prepares learners for the future, work and life. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has developed ISO 21001 Certification for educational institutions to improve and establish a more productive teaching-learning environment.

ISO 21001 Certification for Educational Organization Management System (EOMS) provides a framework for establishing flexible, transparent and inclusive classrooms and enables an organization to provide personalized learning to meet the needs and requirements of the individual learner. It helps educational organizations to implement the best practices and aims to improve the quality of education by providing the necessary training to the teachers.

ISO 21001 certification promotes a learner-centric approach and actively engages learners in their own learning. It was published in 2018 by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to allow educational institutions to provide high-quality services. It promotes equitable and accessible education for all and offers more personalized learning for learners with special needs and distance learners.

Any educational organization can apply for ISO 21001 certification, including private and private, regardless of size, nature and location. A list of organizations that can go for ISO 21001 certification for Educational Organization Management System (EOMS) is as follows:

1. Pre-schools
2. Colleges
3. Adult Education Centers
4. Vocational Education Centers
5. Tutoring or Coaching Centers
6. Training Institutes
7. Special Education Schools
8. Universities
9. K-12 Schools

Education plays a crucial role in a child’s life, but today the education sector is facing many challenges. ISO 21001 Certification is important as it helps organizations to improve their performance and provides appropriate tools and controls to manage the various challenges related to an educational institution. These challenges are:

• According to UNESCO, Around 263 million children, including adolescents and youth, are out of school.

• Over 155 countries legally guarantee free education (9 years or more of compulsory education), but the global literacy rate is still 86.3%.

• Only six children out of ten will be finishing secondary school in 2030.

• Around 102 million youth lack basic literacy skills.

• Capitalism of education.

The Educational Organization Management System (EOMS) is not restricted to schools and universities, but organizations that use the curriculum to impart knowledge can apply for ISO 21001 certification. ISO 21001 Certification for Educational Organization Management System (EOMS) follows 11 principles. These are:

• Focus on learners and other beneficiaries – It promotes student-centred learning and focuses on the needs and requirements of individual learners.

• Visionary leadership – It focuses on engaging all learners and defines competence standards for all staff to achieve the mission, vision and objectives of the organization.

• Engagement of people – It aims to provide training and develop competence to ensure that all the people involved are empowered, competent and engaged in delivering values.

• Process approach – It aims to establish a coherent system to achieve consistent and predictable results. It reviews processes and focuses on adopting efficient and effective processes to improve the functioning of the organizations.

• Improvement – It follows the principle of continual improvement to sustain growth and eliminates factors that might cause unintended outcomes.

• Evidence-based decisions – Decisions are based on analysis and evaluation after reading the prior information and data to achieve the intended outcomes.

• Relationship Management – It is equally necessary for an organization to maintain a relationship with customers, stakeholders and other beneficiaries to sustain growth.

• Social Responsibility – An organization must behave in a socially responsible manner to ensure long-term success and sustainable growth. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has developed ISO 26000 certification solely dedicated to Social Responsibility.

• Accessibility and Equity – ISO 21001 Certification aims to create flexible, transparent and inclusive educational institutions. It focuses on making education accessible and equitable for all, including differently-abled and distance learners.

• Ethical conduct in education – It provides an ethical code of conduct to educational organizations and demonstrates an organization’s ability to eliminate incidents of conflicts of interest.

• Data Security and Protection – An effective data security system enables interested parties and learners to interact with the organization freely and openly. An educational organization can apply for ISO 27001 Certification and ISO 27701 Certification to ensure data security and privacy.