Need for a Mandatory Standard for Quality School Governance

Dr. Divya Singhal
&
Keshav Ram Singhal


Courtesy - Quality Striving for Excellence, April - June 2012

Power of education

Education is power. Education has power to change everything. Education is empowerment in many ways. It has power to eradicate ignorance, poverty and make individuals become independent. Education is the pathway to any nation-building in many ways:
• Education creates an enlightened society, a society build by responsive and responsible citizen
• Education enables the nation with ‘meritocratic’ bureaucracy with competent human resources to carry out day-to-day affairs of the state
• Education increases democratic participation of people as it enables people with more awareness
• Education increases people level of understanding that is very crucial to unite in diversity
• Education creates large number of professionals that are important resources for a strong society, a society set for development
• Education shapes the attitudes and behaviours and attitudes of citizens

Education alters an individual’s and even community’s collective perceptions, aspirations’ goals as well as the ability and the means to attain them. The level and spread of education has not only been an important precondition for sustained economic growth, both in the developed and the developing countries, but it has also played a critical facilitative role in the demographic, social and political transition of these Societies.Education is both an input and an output of the human development process. As input, education is indispensable for progress in all spheres of human development. As output, education is the axiom for building-up human capabilities, a focal interest of human development, given its primary role in enabling people to fully participate in socioeconomic and political development.


Accordingly, education correlates with nation-build. A nation cannot be built without education.

S. P. Punalekar writes that, "Education is considered pivotal for socioeconomic development strategies". Education is now conceived as Human Resource Development. He stated "Above all we need equalization of educational including opportunities and enrichment of social content in education including curricular restructuring. Social and cultural distance among the sections of students must be minimized.”

We cannot live without worthwhile access to education. If we look to developed nation, we find that these nations are set to impart knowledge through varied technology means. The future of a country depends largely upon the future of education. Reforms in education as the most important vision that we need to implement in order to reap its dividends.

Education, as fundamental right

In India, our policy makers have realized the importance of declaring education as the fundamental right. The Right of children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (also known as Right to Education Act – RTE), passed by the Indian parliament on 4 August 2009, has come into force from 1 April 2010. The Right of children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 provides norms and standards to be fulfilled by every school related to: (i) Pupil teacher ratios at primary and upper-primary level, (ii) building norms to provide for all weather building, barrier free access, separate toilets for boys and girls, safe drinking water, kitchen facility, play ground etc., (iii) Minimum number of working days, (iv) Minimum number of working hours per week per teacher, (v) teacher learning equipment, (vi) Library, (vii) play material, games and sports equipment. This Act also requires all private schools to enroll children from weaker sections and disadvantaged communities in their incoming class to the extent of 25% of their enrollment by simple random selection.

It is required to provide education to every child for nation building, for which we need to set some standardized norms in education sector and in this regard Right to Education Act is helpful in many ways. Following are the key points of the legislation that expects to empower the nation through education:
1. Free and compulsory education to all children of India in the 6 to14 age group
2. No child shall be held back, expelled, or required to pass a board examination until completion of elementary education (up to class eight)
3. A child who completes elementary education (up to Class 8) shall be awarded a certificate
4. Calls for a fixed student-teacher ratio;
5. The Act applies to all over India except Jammu and Kashmir
6. There will be 25 percent reservation for economically disadvantaged communities in all private and minority schools
7. The reservation for economically disadvantaged communities to start with Class One beginning 2011
8. Mandates improvement in quality of education;
9. School teachers will need adequate professional degree within five years or else will lose job;
10. School infrastructure (where there is problem) to be improved in three years, else recognition cancelled;
11. Financial burden will be shared between state and central government on the basis of ‘Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan’ (Education for All).
12.. Private schools will have to face penalty for violating provisions of RTE Act.

Sixty-three years after independence, India has finally realized the importance of declaring education as our fundamental right. The notion of a fundamental right has great value in overcoming the objections and excuses that are consistently invoked to continue postponing the goal of universal elementary education. (PROBE Report)

Transforming education in India

While the government is making its efforts providing education to every child of the country, however, there is a challenge before the Indian authorities, how the education management can successfully address the need for quality education, and ensure its access even to those segment of population that are hard to reach. In this connection, NCQM past President Dr. R. H. G. Rau has rightly opined, “The challenge can be squarely met only when the country knits together the policy makers and the deployment contributors of the policies. We need to critically deliberate, discuss and debate on the initiatives taken so far and their measurable outcomes toward quality education across the country. Further, we need to arrive at what works to improve quality in both the existing and upcoming schools and colleges in all identified areas. This surely calls for a scientific and systematic study through better understanding of the global; initiatives that have shown positive results, and their adoption to Indian conditions.” (Quality Striving for Excellence, March-June 2010)

We have come across the infrastructure requirements for schools seeking CBSE affiliation. It states the following requirements:
- The school must have about 2 acres or as otherwise permitted measurement of land (owned by the school or the society running the school, or on lease for a minimum period of 30 years) and a building constructed on a part of land and proper playgrounds on the remaining land
- The school should have proper facilities commensurate with its requirements
- The school should provide minimum floor space of 1 square meter per student in the class-room
- The school will also provide proper facilities for physically challenged students
- The school should have suitable furniture in the class-rooms
- The school should have office equipments commensurate with the strength of students and staff
- The school should have needed equipment and facilities for science, home science, technical subjects, vocational subjects etc.
- The school should scrupulously observe prescription from local authority regarding safety, safe drinking water and sanitation
- The school should have at least 1 computer lab with minimum 10 computers or computer and students ratio of 1:20 and internet connection
- The school should have a well-equipped and spacious library with minimum of 1500 books and at least 15 magazine
- The school should maintain pupil-book ratio of 1:5

However, we notice that these are the requirements for schools that seek CBSE affiliation, not for all schools. At primary level education, schools are not required to seek CBSE affiliation, so it is required that the national policy makers should set minimum requirements for management and infrastructure of schools. Such framed requirements should be covered under statutory and/or regulatory requirements against which it should be mandatory for schools undergo yearly system audit.

During the National Quality Conclave of Quality Council of India (QCI), held on 9-10 February 2007 in New Delhi, the then President of India Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, gave the QCI a Seven-Point Action Plan, the first of which was developing benchmarks for schools. The then President referred to Quality of life encompassing Quality education with value system and productive employment. Accordingly, the QCI set before itself the task of developing a standard for accreditation supported with a rating system. The QCI, which provides the national accreditation structure to our country, entrusted the task to the Board that offers registration services for personnel and training courses. The Board’s education committee, after receiving inputs fro
m various interested parties, like educationists, administrators, Quality experts, teachers, parents and others, drafted the Educational Quality Management Standards (EQMS) for Schools.

The standard was developed by the QCI with a view to define and implement systems to:
• Provide educational services that aim to enhance satisfaction level of all interested parties,
• Provide a basis for assessing and, where required, rating the effectiveness of an educational Quality management system, and
• Develop Quality consciousness among interested parties involved in school activities.

QCI has issued ‘Accreditation Standard for Quality School Governance’ having requirements under following clauses –
Clause 4 – Educational quality management system
Clause 5 – Governance and management
Clause 6 – Resource management
Clause 7 – Educational service realization
Clause 8 –Measurement, analysis and improvement


ISO 9001:2008 QMS Standard is implemented by many schools for demonstrating the quality of educational services provided by the school and many schools in India are implementing accreditation standard for quality school governance developed by Quality Council of India, however it is observed that both standards, ISO 9001:2008 QMS Standards and Accreditation Standard for quality school governance, are generic in nature and voluntary for schools to implement. Schools generally implement ISO 9001:20008 QMS and/or QCI Standard to gain financial and other benefits. Quality in education in schools in India can be improved if we have a mandatory standard to follow by schools. Standards are vehicle for good governance, sharing of knowledge, technology and good governance. If we want sustainable development, we have to look forward for the quality education in our country.

There is a need to revamp the entire education system in our country, for which following need to be looked in to:
1. There is a need to create awareness for the RTE Act.
2. All schools should have basic infrastructure, including proper building, class-rooms, play ground, laboratories, library etc.
3. Every school should have dedicated and qualified teachers
4. Massively investment is needed in education of girls and women
5. Every school should have adequate number of teachers
6. There should be transparent and fair system to evaluate the performance of teachers
7. Raise investment in education
8. Bringing practical learning into school education system and creating an interest in learning is also very important aspect.

Times of India, 16 March 2012, reported a news item stating that a government primary school in Makhupura has no building and lacks basic amenities like drinking water and toilet. According to the report, students of the school sit in the mud all through the day to learn their lesson as their school building exists only on paper. However, their teachers are better off, as they have a table and a chair, which they keep in the nearby temple after school hours. The school has no provision for drinking water or toilet facilities and the students cross the highway to get water from nearby residents. There are nearly 80 students and two teachers in the school. This school is hardly 10 kilometers from Ajmer.

Many schools (specifically government schools) do not have proper infrastructure. What is needed in this regard is application of ‘Plan-Do-Check-Act’ cycle. Accordingly, at national level it requires to make standards for basic infrastructure and number of teachers. The standard should be a specific standard for education system that should define area of class-room, cleanliness, light and air, sitting facilities, black-board (or writing board) in the class-room, number of teacher criteria, evaluation criteria for teachers etc. The national standard should also define the responsibility – who will provide or do what? Next point is implementation of standard requirements for which necessary infrastructure, human resources, and financial support should be provided by the government. It may require huge amount of investment towards basic infrastructure that may be fulfilled by raising investment in education to at least 5% of the GDP. The third point is to check implementation at periodical intervals that should be done by internal monitoring and measurement processes, but there must be an independent body also to check the educational system of schools. The independent body should have trained and experienced assessors to check the school system and raise CA (corrective action) and thus the body should certify that basic infrastructure and availability of teachers in the school are as per standard’s requirements. The fourth point is to act on the basis of the results of check (monitoring and measurement) and if any correction or improvement is required that should be done without delay.

"Change does not necessarily assure progress, but progress implacably requires change. Education is essential to change, for education creates both new wants and the ability to satisfy them." - Henry Steele Commager

Courtesy:
- PROBE Team, Public Report on Basic Education in India (New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 1999)
- Eleven things that can transform education in India, ArindamChaudhuri, The Sunday Indian (8 January 2012)
- Quality Striving for Excellence, March – June 2010
- The Times of India, 16 March 2012
- RTE, 2010
- http://www.icbsc.com
- ISO Website
- QCI Website

Determining customer needs in a school

There is an interesting discussion in one of the linkedin groups, that ask two questions in this discussion - (i) How do you establish customer needs for a school? (ii) Who is the customer? To this discussion I replied briefly - (i) As a school authority I will establish customer needs by reviewing the admission form by which customer makes his requirements as regard to the admission sought in a class and the elective subjects communicated by him. (ii) Customers of a school are students and parents.


One of the members of the group commented, “Keshav: I understand that you would REVIEW customer needs by means of the admission form (a contract review process). What I am trying to establish is how you would initially define customer needs (as input to the design process). These are the customer needs which should be established in order to design organization structure, infrastructure, training methods and processes, measurement systems... even the information to be requested on the admission form).”


When we implement a quality management system in a school, following types of requirements are required to be determined in order to implement and maintain an effective quality management system:
- Customer requirements,
- Organization’s own requirements, and
- Statutory and regulatory requirements.


The question is how to determine customer requirements. Customer requirements are those requirements that are communicated by customer and what I feel that in the case of a school, customer requirements are communicated by customer initially at the time of taking admission and thereafter when he interacts with school authorities.

Generally customer requirements from a school are:
- Seeking admission to a particular class
- Seeking particular elective subjects
- The knowledge, abilities and competencies delivered to its students by the educational institution consistently meet statutory and regulatory requirements.
- Opening of new courses


So in order to design organization structure, infrastructure, training methods and processes, measurement systems, the school is required to meet customer requirements, organization’s own requirements and statutory and regulatory requirements.


In order to determine customer requirements:
- The school authorities should determine the customer requirements at the time of admission by review of the admission form
- The school authorities should determine effective methods of communication with students, parents and the society so that their requirements may be known to the school from time to time.


Sometimes, parents may complain or give suggestion with regard to a particular process or non availability of resource, then such communication are an effective means of establishing customer requirements. So for determination of customer requirements, the school authorities should have good communication methods in which monthly parent-teacher meetings may also play an important role.


With best wishes,

Keshav Ram Singhal

Why you implement or wish to implement ISO 9001:2008 QMS?

All over the world organizations are implementing ISO 9001:2008 QMS. The ISO Survey reveals that by end of December 2010, at least 1,109,905 ISO 9001:2008 certificates had been issued in 178 countries and economies. This indicates the universality of ISO 9001:2008 QMS. Just think and try to answer the question: "Why you implement or wish to implement ISO 9001:2008 QMS in your organization?" Please make your comments.

With best wishes,

Keshav Ram Singhal

A survey covering quality management system development, certification, accreditation and economic benefits

UNITED NATIONS INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION (UNIDO) has published a survey report 'ISO 9001 — Its relevance and impact in Asian Developing Economies' in 2012. The report is available online at the website of UNIDO at www.unido.org.

Thanks,

Keshav Ram Singhal

Quality Objectives

An exercise to the readers of this blog

Quality objectives are the basis of improvement and growth. ISO 9001:2008 QMS standard requires organization to establish measurable quality objectives at relevant functions and levels (i.e., just everywhere) in the organization. The quality objectives must be consistent with the quality policy of the organization.

We wish our readers to suggest a few quality objectives that should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound. You can mention the same in the comments of this post.

With best wishes,

Keshav Ram Singhal

Example - Quality objectives for a school - (i) 90%+ examination result, (ii) Minimum 25% students getting 75% or more marks.

Auditing Purchasing in ISO 9001:2008 QMS

Purchasing is a general process that every organization carries out and it is that activity of an organization that has an effect on the product the organization produces. Purchasing is a formal process of buying goods and services. The purchasing process can vary from one organization to another, but there are some common key elements. The process usually starts with a demand and ends with the fulfillment of that demand. ISO 9001:2008 QMS standard specifies its requirements for purchasing under clause 7.4, which is sub-divided as under:

7.4.1 – Purchasing process
7.4.2 – Purchasing information
7.4.3 – Verification of purchased product

Auditing purchasing in an organization requires certain objective evidences to look for and in this regard the auditor involved should be well prepared and vigilant in auditing purchasing activities in the organization.

According to the requirements of ISO 9001:2008 QMS standard, the organization needs to ensure that purchased product conforms to specified purchase requirements. To ascertain whether the organization ensures that purchased product conforms to specified purchase requirements, an auditor should look for relevant evidences. In the beginning, the auditor should ask people involved in the purchasing process:

- How the purchasing process is being carried out in the organization? What is the established process? Whether the organization follows centralized purchasing or individual departments carry out purchases?
- How the purchasing order is given to supplier?
- How the conformity of the purchased product is checked? What are the types and extent of controls applied to the supplier and the purchased product?

It is also required as per ISO 9001:2008 QMS standard to evaluate and select suppliers for which the organization needs to establish criteria for selection, evaluation and re-evaluation of suppliers. It means that the organization should purchase product from its selected suppliers. Selection and ongoing evaluation of suppliers are important activities in an organization. So inquire from people involved in purchasing the established criteria for selection, evaluation and re-evaluation of suppliers and ask for the records showing results of evaluation, and any necessary action arising from such evaluation. The suitability of suppliers plays an integral role in organization’s success. So, obtain evidences that only approved suppliers are used for purchasing.

ISO 9001:2008 QMS standard requires an organization to communicate purchasing information describing appropriate details of the product to be purchased and other requirements including approval of product, procedures, processes, equipment, qualification of the personnel to the supplier. The organization is also required to ensure the adequacy of specified purchased requirements prior to their communication to the supplier. Therefore, ascertain from people involved in purchasing activities:

- How the organization ensures adequacy of specified purchase requirements prior to their communication to the supplier?
- How the organization communicates purchasing information to the supplier?
The auditor should look for the supporting evidences for the above.

As per ISO 9001:2008 QMS standard, it is necessary that the organization must establish and implement the inspection and other activities necessary to ensure that purchased product meets specified purchase requirements. So it for the auditor to ascertain the following:

- What methods have been established to check the product?
- How the established methods used in the organization to check the product?

In case the auditor observes that verification activities are performed at the supplier’s premises, then he should inquire whether such arrangement is mentioned in the purchasing information.

Any observations or nonconformance to the requirements of ISO 9001:2008 QMS standard should be reported as ‘corrective action request’ (CAR) that will provide an opportunity to the organization to improve its process and implementation.

 Keshav Ram Singhal

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Thanking you,

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Validation of Processes

ISO 9001:2008 QMS standard requires validation of processes only where the resulting output cannot be verified by subsequent monitoring or measurement, and as a consequent deficiencies (incompleteness or inadequacy) in the product become apparent (known) only after the product is in use or the service has been delivered. The relevant clause in this regard is clause 7.5.2 of ISO 9001:2008 QMS standard that mentions requirements. This clause is for those processes where an organization is not able to easily measure the resulting output. The normal example is how do you test a gun-bullet or tear-shell? If you try and test a gun-bullet or tear-shell, then you will destroy the gun-bullet or tear-shell. So there is a need of the system for validating the processes that the gun-bullet or tear-shell was manufactured correctly and the gun-bullet or tear-shell will not fail.

Validation must demonstrate the ability of such process to achieve planned results. An organization must establish effective arrangements, for such process, including:
- Defining acceptance criteria for review and approval of the process
- Approval of appropriate equipment
- Approval of qualification of personnel, so that trained and qualified personnel are able to handle the process
- Use of specific methods and procedures
- Requirements for records
- Requirements for re-validation

So an organization needs a standard operating procedure (SOP) for that process where the organization is not able to measure the resulting output. And the organization needs to establish effective arrangements, how the organization validates such processes and what records will be kept. Keeping a documented procedure for such standard operating procedure (SOP) is not a mandatory requirement, however the organization may think of determining a documented procedure for such SOP to ensure the effective planning, operation and control of the process included in the SOP. Without having a documented procedure for such SOP, the organization has to prove that the organization has such processes in place.

Please post your comments. With best wishes,

Keshav Ram Singhal

Quality Policy

Clause 4.2.1 of ISO 9001:2008 QMS standard includes documented statement of quality policy as part of the organization's QMS documentation. Clause 5.3 of ISO 9001:2008 QMS standard mentions requirements for quality policy. It is the responsibility of the top management of the organization to ensure framing of quality policy of the organization.

What is in a quality policy?

Quality policy is a QMS documentation that provides a commitment to comply with requirements and continually improve the effectiveness of the quality management system and also to have a framework for establishing and reviewing quality policy. ISO 9000:2005 standard defines quality policy as overall intentions and direction of an organization related to quality that is formally expressed by the top management of the organization.

What are the requirements related to quality policy in ISO 9001:2008 QMS standard?

As per requirements mentioned in clause 5.3 of ISO 9001:2008 QMS standard the top management of the organization must ensure that:
(i) - the quality policy is appropriate to the purpose of the organization
(ii)- a commitment to comply with requirements of the quality management system is included in the quality policy
(iii)- a commitment to continually improve the effectiveness of the quality management system is included in the quality policy
(iv)- a framework for establishing quality objectives is provided in the quality policy
(v) - a framework for reviewing quality objectives is provided in the quality policy
(vi)- the quality policy is communicated within the organization
(vii)- the quality policy is understood within the organization
(viii)- the quality policy is reviewed for continuing suitability

The requirements as mentioned in (i) to (v) above are useful in developing or framing a quality policy.

First Sample 'Quality Policy'

"Our organization is committed to enhance customer satisfaction by achieving our organization's quality objectives through the effective application, review and continual improvement of our quality management system."

Second Sample 'Quality Policy'

"We, the employees of ABC Organization, are committed to meet customer requirements as well as applicable legal requirements by achieving our quality objectives through the application, review and continual improvement of our management systems."

With best wishes,

Keshav Ram Singhal

Newly released book on 'Implementing ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System - A Reference Guide'

Please see more details at http://phindia.com/bookdetails/implementing_iso_9001_2008_quality_management_system_a_reference_guide_by-singhal_divya_singhal_k_r_-isbn-978-81-203-4574-4. You can buy print edition and/or eBook edition.

With best wishes,

Keshav Ram Singhal