What do you know about school accreditation in India?
Affiliation or Accreditation?
We noticed that many school leaders mistakenly believe that school affiliation and school accreditation are the same thing. The leading Education Boards in India evaluate schools before granting them affiliation. As affiliation is a statutory requirement, the Boards focus on ensuring compliance with their bye-laws and primarily assess the administrative aspects of the schools during their assessments. In contrast, accreditation focuses on the academic quality of the school.
In 2020, the Central Square Foundation published the State of the Sector Report on Private Schools in India. The report stated, "Schools focus on meeting input and entry criteria rather than improving learning outcomes. The second main barrier to improving learning outcomes is the current regulatory structure. These prescribe non-contextual input standards around land, infrastructure, and salaries..."
All of us at Innerkern are excited that the Government of India is taking steps to address the issue of school quality, and is working to accredit schools and add them to the NIRF list. As a first step, leading Education Boards in India are developing their own school accreditation frameworks and are publishing resources to help schools prepare for the accreditation process. However, many of the school leaders we spoke to were unsure of how to put this information into action. We frequently hear the helpless refrain from the school leaders we listen to, "Where do we even start?"
Where should you begin?
When an accreditation agency visits your school, they will evaluate your school based on predefined academic quality parameters and teacher performance benchmarks. For example, the Central Board of Secondary Education has identified seven parameters for evaluating the quality and academic excellence of a school. To prepare for accreditation, schools must assess their readiness in each of these areas. Once a school has assessed its readiness in each of these areas, it can begin working on meeting the benchmarks set by the board.
At Innerkern, we have experts who can help schools assess their readiness for accreditation. Two experts from our Accreditation Readiness team can provide you with a personalised assessment of your school's readiness for accreditation. The session will last for 60 minutes, and it is completely free and does not require any commitment on your part. By participating in this review, you can gain valuable insights on your school's chances of achieving accreditation. To schedule your Accreditation Readiness Review, please click here.
What if you are not a school leader?
If you are not a school leader but are concerned about the quality of education in our country, please consider sharing this information with school leaders you know. Your support can help school leaders improve the quality of education at their schools, and they will likely be grateful for the information. Please forward this message to any school leaders you know to help them prepare for accreditation and improve the quality of education at their school.
Thank you for your time.
Warm regards
Rosama Francis & Sojo Varughese