How ISO 21001 can help educational institutes to face current challenges?

The educational sector across the globe is facing a lot of challenges due to the current pandemic situation. Every institute is striving for its survival & future growth. The requisites for any educational establishment can be categorized into Human Resources, Technology, Infrastructure, Brand value, etc. We have listed down a few challenges faced in the current situation.

Digital Transformation – Shift from Onsite to Online is a big challenge for any educational institute. Developing an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software or application is a cumbersome activity and can’t be done in a couple of months. It needs planning, development, and adoption by all the team members. In the present situation, this requirement is very crucial and just in time. The institutes which had not taken initiate in terms of technological development & digital transformation in past are really going through a tough time.

Human Resource Competence Requirements – Any institute has teaching & non-teaching (Administrative) staff members. The digital transformation itself is a challenge for all the team members as they are used to the traditional way of managing the operations. The requirement of fast up-gradation / adoption of technology leads to attrition and demotivation among the team members. This is one of the internal issues apart from other external issues faced by the institute.

Infrastructure – This pandemic tough time has a substantial impact on the financial position of the institutes. Generally, most of the institutes are funded by trustees and other well-wishing organizations. The routine expenditure such as salaries, infrastructural development, other expenses, etc. are managed through the fees collected from the students. There is a real challenge to maintain the intake capacity (Number of students) and also a collection of fees from the students. This leads to an inadequate budget for managing routine expenditure and also infrastructural development for the future.

Brand Value – The number of institutes including Government & Private institutes has more intake capacity than the number of students seeking admissions. Hence, to avail of 100% admission status, every institute is striving to maintain its brand value. In current days, the brand value of the institute is enhanced by many factors including the quality of education, infrastructure, affiliations, and many other points. Also the International certifications including ISO 21001, ISO 9001 add value to the brand value of any institute. Such certification focus on the operational management system of the institute to deliver good quality educational services to satisfy its stakeholders including the students, parents, industry, and society as a whole.

All the mentioned challenges are faced by every educational institute offering services at the site or even online. Good operational management at the institute can lead to the development of the ideal institute and assure sustainability for the coming years. Implementation of ISO 21001:2018 – Educational Organization Management System has supported many institutes to face the challenges and sail through in such competitive scenario.