International Accreditations – Part 1

Education is going through major reforms in most countries from Africa to the far East. The challenges are different for each country with specific issues. The Washington Accord and the Seoul Accord has had a major influence on the Education Policies of many countries.

National accreditation is the accreditation of educational institutions or programs by independent national accreditation agencies, while international accreditation is the accreditation of educational institutions or programs by foreign independent accreditation agencies.

Any institution with the national accreditation, can apply for international accreditation with one of the international accrediting agencies. Both accreditations are of equal importance in their own aspects, however, international accreditation opens the horizons for institutions for diversity of student community, increased admissions, better commercial advantage, knowledge and language acquisition, enhancement of the curriculum with international content and cultural nuances.

Today Accreditation is clearly seen as a Quality Indicator. Internationalization is changing the world of Higher Education. While it is fundamental to ensure that all statutory Local Accreditations comply with International Accreditations offer an edge indicating a global vision.

For centuries there has been international exchange of knowledge and scholars among countries. Mobility of students and teachers is now a routine. Joint degree, franchise, satellite campus, cross-enrollment and international certificates are becoming the norm.

Internationalization formalizes the attention on the actions of individual, groups and social institutions as they actively seek to cross national borders in pursuit of achieving Academic Excellence.

International Accreditation Bodies focus on this very aspect and establish standards that will be relevant across borders.

Now how can we set goals and track them in the context of Accreditations?