ISO Standards as a Quality Assurance Mechanism in Higher Education

Abstract

This article examines and analyses the use of ISO international standards to assure the quality of higher education. It identifies the specifics of the ISO international quality management system in higher education. It makes a comparative analysis of basic principles of ESG, ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 21001 and determines that ISO 9001 standards are general in nature, they do not offer any specific model of the quality assurance management system and provide an organization with the freedom to create its own industry-specific quality assurance system meeting the requirements of the general management system. Therefore, these standards should be used to develop and establish the quality assurance system in higher education. It is stated that ISO 21001 Educational Organizations – Management Systems for Educational Organizations, specially developed for the educational industry, includes the methodological framework to create the effective management system for educational institutions and provides additional mechanisms for the ESG efficient implementation and development. The application of ISO standards in higher education will help improve the quality of rendered services, increase the competitive ability of higher education institutions and stimulate the development of innovative society in the global perspective.