ISO 21001

ISO 21001:2018 – Educational organizations – Management systems for educational organizations – Requirements with guidance for use

1. Introduction

Although educational organizations and learners worldwide are the main beneficiaries of this document, all interested parties will benefit from standardized management systems in educational organizations.

EXAMPLE Employers who sponsor and encourage staff to participate in educational services can also benefit from this document.

The potential benefits to an organization of implementing a management system for educational organizations (EOMS) based on this document are:

a) better alignment of objectives and activities with policy (including mission and vision);
b) enhanced social responsibility by providing inclusive and equitable quality education for all;
c) more personalized learning and effective response to all learners and particularly to learners with special education needs, distance learners and lifelong learning opportunities;
d) consistent processes and evaluation tools to demonstrate and increase effectiveness and efficiency;
e) increased credibility of the organization;
f) a means that enables educational organizations to demonstrate their commitment to effective educational management practices;
g) a culture for organizational improvement;
h) harmonization of regional, national, open, proprietary, and other standards within an international framework;
i) widened participation of interested parties;
j) stimulation of excellence and innovation.

2. ISO 21001 structure in the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle

<EOMS in the framework of ISO21000>

3. Principles for an EOMS

This EOMS entails the following management principles:

1. Focus on learners and other beneficiaries – The primary focus of the EOMS is to meet learner and other beneficiary requirements and to exceed their expectations.
2. Visionary leadership – Visionary leadership is to engage all learners and other beneficiaries in creating, writing, and implementing the organization mission, vision and objectives.
3. Engagement of people – It is essential for the organization that all individuals involved are competent, empowered and engaged in delivering value.
4. Process approach – Consistent and predictable results are achieved more effectively and efficiently when activities are understood and managed as interrelated processes that function as a coherent system, including input and output.
5. Improvement – Successful organizations have an ongoing focus on improvement.
6. Evidence-based decisions – Decisions and curricula based on the analysis and evaluation of data and information are more likely to produce desired results.
7. Relationship management – For sustained success, organizations manage their relationships with interested parties, such as providers.
8. Social responsibility – Socially responsible organizations are sustainable and ensure long-term success.
9. Accessibility and equity – Successful organizations are inclusive, flexible, transparent and accountable, in order to address learners’ individual and special needs, interests, abilities and backgrounds.
10. Ethical conduct in education – Ethical conduct relates to the ability of the organization to create an ethical professional environment where all interested parties are dealt with equitably, conflicts of interests are avoided, and activities are conducted for the benefit of the society.
11. Data security and protection – The organization creates an environment where all interested parties can interact with the educational organization in full confidence that they maintain control over the use of their own data, and that the educational organization will treat their data with appropriate care and confidentiality.

4. Structure of the ISO 21001 standard