ISO 21001 is the Management System for Educational Organizations (EOMS) and represents an international standard applied by educational organizations worldwide. It was published in May 2018 by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
Educational systems around the world vary from one another due to laws based on different regulations. The aim of introducing ISO 21001 is to provide a common tool for managing educational organizations, standardizing the education management system to meet the needs of students.
The significance of this standard is reflected in:
- Providing guidance on how to standardize the delivery of high-quality education.
- Promoting innovation alongside the introduction of ethical and social responsibility.
ISO 21001 specifies the requirements of a management system for educational organizations when such organizations:
- Need to demonstrate their ability to support the acquisition and development of competencies through teaching, learning, or research.
- Aim to enhance the satisfaction of students, users, and staff through the application of EOMS, while simultaneously improving processes and ensuring compliance with the requirements of all stakeholders.
The ISO 21001 (EOMS) certification can also be applied to educational organizations within larger entities whose primary activity is not education, such as departments for vocational training. The standard does not apply to businesses that solely produce educational products.
The imperative of today is to ensure satisfaction not only for customers and consumers but also for students and other users of educational organizations, such as parents/guardians, government, and the labor market, and ISO 21001 certification demonstrates this. The ISO 21001 standard is compatible with ISO 9001 but with a special focus on educational institutions and user satisfaction.