ISO 21001 – Management System for Educational Organizations

ISO 21001:2018 specifies requirements for a management system for educational organizations (EOMS), where such an organization:

a) needs to demonstrate its ability to support the acquisition and development of competence through teaching, learning, or research,
b) aims to enhance the satisfaction of learners, other beneficiaries, and staff through the effective application of its EOMS, including processes for system improvement and assurance of conformity to the requirements of learners and other beneficiaries.

All the requirements of ISO 21001:2018 are generic and intended to be applicable to any organization that uses a curriculum to support the development of competence through teaching, learning, or research, regardless of the organization’s type, size, or method of delivery.

ISO 21001:2018 can be applied to educational organizations within larger entities whose core business is not education, such as professional training departments. However, it does not apply to organizations that only produce or manufacture educational products.

The Educational Organization Management System (EOMS) is a standalone management system standard aligned with ISO 9001:2015. It focuses specifically on the management systems of educational organizations and their impact on learners and other interested parties. Its requirements can be used alongside regional, national, open-source, proprietary, and other educational frameworks or related documents.

ISO 21001:2018 focuses on the specific interaction between an educational organization, the learner, customers, and other relevant stakeholders. It defines the requirements for an EOMS when such an organization:

• Must demonstrate its ability to consistently provide, share, and facilitate the building of knowledge, while complying with applicable legal and regulatory requirements;
• Aims to enhance learner, customer, and staff satisfaction through the effective implementation of its EOMS, including processes for system improvement.
   

There is a critical and ongoing need for educational organizations to evaluate how well they meet the needs and expectations of learners and other customers, in order to enhance their capability to do so consistently.

Current educational approaches are increasingly emphasizing co-creation, where the traditional customer-supplier relationship evolves into a collaborative partnership. This standard offers guidance on how to ensure quality within this new and challenging environment.

Education is unique among many sectors in that a successful educational process maximizes the learner’s chances of success—though it cannot guarantee it. The effort and capability of both the learner and the educational organization are key variables determining success. Learning involves the internalization of knowledge, methods, and skills. The educational organization facilitates this internalization by providing the framework, inputs, processes, and learning resources necessary for it. Ultimately, however, it is the learner’s effort and capability that determine the success of the educational process.

ISO 21001:2018 can serve as a common management tool for all organizations that offer educational products and services capable of meeting the needs and requirements of learners and other clients.

Certification of an organization in accordance with the requirements of ISO 21001:2018:

• Demonstrates, through an independent body, enhanced social responsibility by providing quality, equitable, and inclusive education for all.
• Confirms better alignment of the educational organization’s objectives and activities with its overall policy.
• Highlights the organization’s commitment to more personalized learning and more effective responsiveness to all learners—especially those with special educational needs and those in distance learning.
• Supports the implementation of consistent assessment procedures and tools to demonstrate and improve both effectiveness and efficiency.
• Enhances the credibility and trustworthiness of the educational organization.
• Showcases a strong commitment to effective quality management practices.
• Reinforces the development of a culture focused on organizational improvement.
• Promotes the harmonization of regional, national, open-source, and proprietary standards within an international framework.
• Emphasizes increased involvement of all relevant stakeholders.
• Encourages excellence and innovation.

The 5 Steps to Get Certified to ISO 21001:2018

1. Request and Offer
    
2. Assignment and Planning
    
3. Stage 1: Readiness Assessment for Certification
    
4. Stage 2: Certification Audit
    
5. Certificate Issuance
    

ISO 21001:2018 can be seen as an enhanced approach to the DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 standard, with deeper focus on service-related aspects such as appropriateness, accessibility, equity, and inclusion, addressing the diverse educational needs of all learners without exception. Furthermore, this standard may also operate in parallel with ISO 29993:2017, which defines requirements for the provision of learning services outside formal education, integrating with it the high-level structure approach.

TÜV HELLAS is a trusted and internationally recognized inspection and certification body. Our auditors possess specialized expertise based on extensive training and long-standing experience, and they will effectively support you throughout your certification process, providing objective guidance during every step of the assessment. We guarantee services marked by impartiality, objectivity, and reliability. Moreover, thanks to our global network, we are able to offer inspection and certification services worldwide.

The ISO 21001:2018 standard contributes directly to Sustainable Development Goals 4, 10, and 11:

4. Quality Education: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
ISO 21001:2018 specifies the requirements for a Management System for Educational Organizations (EOMS), enabling such organizations to demonstrate their ability to support the acquisition and development of competencies through teaching, learning, or research. It also aims to enhance learner satisfaction—as well as that of other beneficiaries and staff—through the effective application of the EOMS, including processes for system improvement and assurance of compliance with learners’ and other beneficiaries’ requirements.

10. Reduce inequality within and among countries.
A core philosophy of the Educational Organization Management System according to ISO 21001:2018 is the recognition and coordinated support of the specific educational needs of all learners. This is achieved through appropriate and targeted planning of educational content, methodology, tools, instructors, infrastructure, and accessibility—regardless of whether services are provided in-person or remotely.

11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
By promoting the principles of social responsibility, accessibility, equity, and ethical behavior, ISO 21001:2018 contributes to the gradual creation of a framework that raises awareness on sustainability, continuity, and adequacy at a global level. As part of the broader effort to ensure sustainable living and safeguard future generations, the standard emphasizes inclusivity, equality, accessibility, and safety across the widest possible social and geographic spectrum.

Who can benefit from ISO 21001:2018?
Although learners and educational organizations worldwide are the primary beneficiaries of this new management system standard, all stakeholders (i.e., the entire society) will benefit from the results of standardized management systems in educational organizations.

The educational organizations that will benefit from the standard include preschools, elementary schools, middle and high schools, colleges, universities, adult education organizations, special education schools, vocational education and training providers, tutoring centers, coaching centers, training organizations, education/training departments, consultants, and providers of non-formal education services. This applies regardless of the funding source, which may be public (subsidized), private (commercial), self-sustained (internally generated revenue), or non-profit (sponsored).

What about the monitoring and measurement of the educational organization's management system?

The monitoring and measurement of the educational organization's management system are also part of the certification process. During the inspection, the educational organization must demonstrate that it measures, analyzes, and reports its performance and the effectiveness of its management system. Therefore, it must provide evidence that it has established, implemented, and maintained a process for monitoring, measuring, analyzing, and evaluating performance, so that the organization's management can regularly assess the system's effectiveness and the organization itself can always have a complete overview of the management system's performance.

What should be considered regarding certificates in the context of recertification or surveillance?

Once the inspection process is completed, a certificate is issued in accordance with the ISO 21001:2018 standard, which is valid for three years. During the recertification phase, the validity period begins immediately after the expiration of the previous certificate. This means that the expiration date of the new certificate corresponds to the regular three-year period (the expiration date of the old certificate plus three years) if the process is carried out within the specified timeframe or if the audit and management of non-conformities (NCs) are completed according to the schedule. During the three-year period, two annual surveillance inspections are planned.

If a revision of the certificate is required during one of these inspections, the issue date of the amendment will differ, but the original three-year validity will be maintained.

How is ISO 21001:2018 related to ISO 29993:2017?

The two standards, ISO 21001:2018 and ISO 29993:2017, have been specifically created for educational organizations and thus complement the range of different approaches to applying standards in the educational sector. This allows organizations providing education and training to choose between different standards.

The key requirements regarding management commitment, analysis of educational needs, identification and achievement of educational goals, design, evaluation, and continuous updating and upgrading of educational materials, detailed information on the content and methodology of providing learning, the competence and ongoing training of trainers, the suitability of infrastructure and resources to meet educational needs and accessibility, consideration of the special characteristics of learners both for teaching methods and learning assessment methodology, service delivery through partners, issues related to personal data and intellectual property, as well as feedback from beneficiaries and stakeholders in the organization, complaint and grievance management, and non-compliant services, are addressed in both standards.

However, the ISO 21001:2018 standard follows the “high level structure” and sets the requirements for a management system for educational organizations. Among these, issues such as operational framework, stakeholders, educational organization's policy, risk and opportunity analysis, change management, and parameters for internal audits and management review within the framework of continuous improvement of the educational organization's system are included.

How can this work if everyone employed in the company must take on more responsibilities?

One of the prerequisites for certification is raising awareness among management and staff about the requirements of the standard, along with the relevant training of all involved parties—achieved through specialized education. Understanding the significance and implementation of the requirements for non-formal learning services ensures greater employee engagement with the provision of learning services, as well as stronger commitment to the organization as a whole.

How recognized is the certificate – and for how long is it valid?

ISO 21001:2018 is an international standard and, as such, is recognized globally. The certificate is issued with a three-year validity period, with annual surveillance audits.