ISO 9000 in Education

Recently, especially in the UK, education institutions have come under increasing pressure to improve and adopt a market-based, quality management system such as ISO 9000. There is pressure from ISO, pressure from the changing global environment and diminishing resources, and pressure for educators to meet the needs of industry with a better-skilled, quality workforce.

In addition, education institutions face financial accountability from state and institutional supporters. ISO 9000 implementation is occurring in most countries around the globe. For example, ISO 9000 is being implemented in private schools in Thailand, in the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, in private education institutions and higher education in Turkey, in primary schools in the United Kingdom, in universities, colleges of further education, in vocational education in the USA, and also in the education system of Hong Kong.

However, as ISO 9000 was originally intended as a quality system for the manufacturing industry, the transition of ISO 9000 to education has been far from smooth. Filled with controversy, the information surrounding ISO 9000 in education is immense and confusing as education institutions at every level and in every country are experimenting with the standards.