Challenging professional quality management in educational organizations

Quality education is the main driver for the lifelong learning of people and the development of the organizations and society. Accordingly, also UNESCO’s global vision for education towards 2030 is endeavoring to ‘ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’.

From the quality point of view, the existing situation is however very fragmented. A great variety of organizations provide formal and non-formal education for lifelong learning to people having very different needs and expectations, and the education providers and experts are not very aware of the general professional quality concepts and practices.

Very recently the international standardization committee ISO/PC 288 has started the work of harmonizing quality management in the educational organizations with the other organizations of the society by using the common professional approach. This new standardization will challenge all educational organizations, because it requires the adoption of the general basic quality concepts and quality management structures and practices. This will enable educational organizations to demonstrate their ability to provide consistently education to the requirements and strive for enhancing satisfaction of the involved parties.