Accreditation: The New Trend in School Improvement
By: Olsen McQuaid
For hundreds of years there have been varying philosophies about education, based on various models of study. In modern times, parents, students, and educators continue to explore the different philosophies on education and how they impact learning. While each education philosophy has its own belief in the driving forces behind it, the issue of provision of education quality exists in the wake of the recent globalization. Numerous education systems exist throughout the world; however, education providers have not been able to develop a consensus on what to teach, what teaching methodologies they should adopt and how the examinations should be assessed. The question that arises is how the quality of education can be assured when numerous education systems exist across the world.
There are numerous regional accreditation agencies and bodies across the world that assess the education providers of their specific regions on different factors. They evaluate an educational institution based on the years of education students acquire and how many of them pass their exams. The problems that arise is since these exams are not similar in different countries, they do not really allow an agency to evaluate the quality of education imparted to the students. The quality of education cannot be assured because the academic programs around the world are not the same and cannot be compared to each other.
To standardize the quality of education globally and accredit education providers on an international scale, organizations like IAO have developed accreditation standards that are both regionally and internationally recognized and accepted.
Traditional and Non-Traditional education providers today have realized the importance of establishing global educational standards through international accreditation, adding tremendous value to the brand name of their establishment. In this regard, to prove the legitimacy of such organizations, University of Bangalore recently received Candidacy Status from IAO, which is a major achievement for the education sector of India. It will encourage reputed education providers to get internationally accredited and recognized for providing quality education. Not only this, this accreditation will offer international recognition to all its stakeholders, a factor considered very important by students and university placement programs around the world.
With IAO’s international accreditation, education can reach out across geographic boundaries and has greater appeal for foreign students. Graduates of internationally accredited universities find it much easier to pursue careers in foreign countries because their academic credentials are accepted worldwide. This quality of international accreditation plays a vital role in career development for students and increases the value of international accreditation for students.
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