Application of Quality Standards in Indian Education: Some Issues

Over the last decades, ‘Quality’ has become an obsession for industry and commerce throughout the world. There are many waves of this movement like ISO, TQM, SQC, Six Sigma, etc. Quality is not a new concern in education. There are many Quality Inspections and Performance Indicators in currency for Educational Systems. The National Assessment and Accreditation Council )NAAC) is functioning as the Quality Certifying authority for colleges, universities and other institutions of Higher Learning in India. For lower levels of education, there is no such agency to assess and accredit institutions except the examination system and some annual school inspections by the inspectorate functioning under the Directorate of School Education. Recently some institutions are taking interest in ISO 9000 certification. The present paper highlights some issues related to Quality Standards and their implementation in the present Indian Educational System. Key Words : ISO – NAAC – Quality Standards – Assessment - TQM