Needs of Accreditation and Certification in TVET Institutions

Dr. Shyamal Majumdar Professor & Head Computer Science & Engineering Department National Institute of Technical Teachers' Training & Research Regional Vice President, IVETA

1. INTRODUCTION

Accreditation is considered as a quality assurance measure and as a useful management tool for continuous improvement. Accreditation is a system for recognizing education and training institutions and professional programs affiliated with those institutions for a level of performance, integrity and quality which entitles them to the confidence of the educational community and the public they serve The accrediting process requires institutions and programs to examine their own goals, operations, and achievements, followed by the expert criticism and suggestions of an evaluation team and later by the recommendations of the accrediting body. Since accreditation is reviewed periodically, institutions are encouraged toward continued self-study and improvement.

Both institutional and specialized bodies conduct the accreditation process using a common pattern. The pattern requires integral self-study of the institution or program, followed by an on-site visit by an evaluation team and subsequent review and decision by a central governing group. Within this general pattern, various accrediting bodies have developed a variety of individual procedures adapted to their own circumstances. Institutional or specialized accreditation cannot guarantee the quality of individual graduates or of individual courses within an institution or program but can give reasonable assurance of the content and quality of education/training offered. The performance of the Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) institutions can be evaluated in terms of four distinct aspects. They are as follows:

1.	Socio-economic context of the institution.
2.	Nature of student and resource inputs in the institution.
3.	Process of teaching and learning and utilization of available resources
4.	Nature and quality of the pass out

Context, input, process and product (CIPP) have been espoused by stufflebeam (1969) as the key element of a comprehensive evaluation of any educational institution.

Widening wage differentials, fast expanding market economy and cross border trades, growing flows of foreign direct investment have accelerated a skill labour force movements and cross border migration. However there are often no avenues for employing skilled/semi skilled workforce legally for non-existence of mutual recognition of qualifications between different TVET institutions in the Asia & Pacific region. Lack of transparency and comparability in skill testing and certification arrangement also hampers effective cooperation in skill formation in the region. There is an urgent need to develop a regional accreditation and certification framework with the ultimate goal to facilitate the mobility of educated workforce among the countries of the Asia & Pacific region.

2. PURPOSE OF ACCREDITATION

The major purpose of introducing accreditation of TVET will be to uphold high standard of quality and expectation to the various stakeholders of the TVET system. Some of the salient objectives may include the following:

	To certify institutions or programs that meets certain quality standards;
	To identify standard TVET institutions for meeting the needs of stakeholders including students, parents and employers;
	To foster excellence in the TVET institution through the development of criteria and guidelines for assessing effectiveness of education and training;
	To assist in determining transfer of credits between and among institutions;
	To create goals for improvement and raising of standards among institutions;
	To establish criteria for professional certification, licensure and for upgrading courses; and
	To provide basis for determining eligibility for assistance and investment of public funds for continuous improvement.

Accreditation is basically guided by the principles of quality standards and provides opportunities for TVET institutions for continuous development through self-evaluation.

3. TYPES OF ACCREDITATION

Educational accreditation can be classified into two types, one as institutional and the other, as specialized or program accreditation. Institutional accreditation normally applies to evaluation of the entire institution as a total operating unit. Specialized/program accreditation normally refers to evaluation of programs, departments, units or schools, which usually are parts of a total college or university system.

Institutional and specialized accreditations are complementary. The focus of an institutional accrediting body on an institution as a total operating unit provides assurance that the general characteristics of the institution have been examined and found to be satisfactory. The focus of a specialized accrediting body on the specific program provides assurance that the details of that particular program meet external accreditation standards.

3.1 Institutional Accreditation

Institutional accreditation is a status accorded an institution of technical and vocational education and training (TVET). It embraces the whole institution as it defines itself and, therefore, includes all areas, activities and programs. Normally, institutional accreditation testifies to the appropriateness of the objectives of the institution, the adequacy of its organization and generally accepted accrediting standards, and evidence of the accomplishment of institutional objectives. However, accreditation of the institution as a whole is not equivalent to specialized accreditation of a part or program of the institution and should not be represented as such.

Institutional improvement is encouraged by an institutional accrediting body through the requirement that the accredited institution conduct periodic self-evaluations seeking to identify what the institution does well, determining the areas in which improvement is needed, and developing plans to address needed improvements. It is also encouraged by the institutional accrediting body through the advice provided by the evaluation team, which should comprise experienced experts in TVET, and by the publications of the accrediting body.

3.2 Specialized Accreditation

Specialized accreditation is a status accorded a special unit within an institution, which may be a division, department, program or curriculum. The focus of specialized accreditation is to ensure that the program meets its objectives, those of the institution and also the accrediting standards of quality education/training. Normally, specialized accreditation reviews the relationship of the program to the larger unit, the adequacy of the organization and resources for program maintenance and development, and evidence of accomplishment of program objectives. However, specialized accreditation does not make judgments on the institution, as a whole, except in the cases of single-purpose institutions.

A specialized accrediting body focuses its attention on a particular program within an institution. Program improvement is encouraged by the use of specific accreditation requirements as objective characteristics that must be attained; thus, for a non-accredited program, the accreditation requirements serve as specific goals to be achieved. In addition to accrediting standards, assistance for program improvement is provided through the advice of accreditation team members, which may include practitioners and experienced faculty members and administrators from other institutions.

4. STATUS OF ACCREDITATION BODIES

Accreditation has emerged as one of the important strategies to achieve quality standards in TVET systems. Most of the countries in the region have taken up the initiative to put forward the importance of accreditation and certifications. As a matter of fact, accreditation has been an important component of multilateral and bilateral assistance projects. In this section we have described status of the accreditation bodies in some of the countries of CPSC & GSM countries.

4.1 People's Republic of China

Accreditation of TVET institutions was introduced in 1991. The authorities conducting institutional accreditation are either at the provincial or national level. The State Education Commission (SEC) has responsibility for laws, policies, regulations and the administration of accreditation of specialized secondary schools and senior vocational schools, while the Ministry of Labour (MOL) has responsibility for the accreditation of advanced skilled workers' schools, skilled workers' schools (SWSs) and employment training centers (ETCs). The Department of Vocational Education (State Education Commission) sets the evaluation/accreditation criteria to be applied to specialized secondary schools. The criteria address leadership of schools, teachers, facilities, teaching, administration and students. The Department of Vocational Skill Development (DVSD) of the MOL has set the evaluation/accreditation criteria for SWSs. The criteria fall into the following categories: philosophy and organization, operating conditions, teaching, teachers, political education and work ethics, and administration.

4.2 India

Government of India through the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), constituted National Board of Accreditation (NBA) to undertake the accreditation of all TVET system in India. NBA is charged with the task of evolving a procedure for quality assessment in TVET sector and specially to articulate the criteria for assessment of quality, identify parameters to quantitatively assess these criteria and assign appropriate program-specific weightages for each, validate the procedure by well-designed test runs and to establish appropriate benchmarks. The NBA has already developed the necessary infrastructure for initiating the process of accreditation by formulating policy initiatives for under graduate and post graduate programs not only in engineering and technology, but also in related areas like Architecture, Town Planning, Pharmacy, Technician Education and Management studies.

4.3 Cambodia

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MOEYS) has responsibility for the provision of all TVET in Cambodia, including programs managed and delivered by Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), international organizations, the private sector and other ministries. The Office of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (OTVET) within the Department of Higher Education and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (DHTVET) is charged with supervision of TVET. The introduction of institutional accreditation is being addressed by various multilateral and bilateral donor agencies. Department of Higher and Technical and Vocational Education and Training is seriously engrossed with the matter.

4.4 Philippines

In the Philippines, there is a federation of accrediting agencies known as Federation of Accrediting Agencies in the Philippines (FAAP), which is acting as an umbrella organization for the various private accrediting agencies dealing with different professions and programs such as teacher education, graduate education, catholic schools and non-sectarian schools. It is a non-stock, non-profit, non-governmental organization established in 1977 and officially recognized by the government through the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports. Its aim is to upgrade the quality of Philippine education through voluntary accreditation. Presently, it is composed of three national accrediting associations, namely: the Association of Christian Schools and Colleges Accrediting Agency, Inc. (ACSCAAI), the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU), and the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation. (PACUCOA). The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is a statutory body established in 1994, charged to carry out the policy of the State to provide relevant, accessible, high quality and efficient technical education and skills development of middle-level manpower responsive to national development goals and priorities.

4.5 Lao PDR

The technical and vocational education and training (TVET) system of the Lao PDR consists of government training institutes and a small number of private training schools. The objectives and programs of vocational schools run by government ministries, except those run by the Ministry of Education (MOE), depend on the sectoral needs of each ministry and on provincial and regional priorities. Seven different ministries operate TVET institutions. The Department of Labour (DOL) of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare (MOLSW) is also responsible for operating a short-term vocational training center in cooperation with the Labour and Social Welfare Division. Government of Lao PDR through Ministry of Education is seriously thinking to introduce an accreditation system to develop quality standards of TVET systems.

4.6 Myanmar

Public TVET in Myanmar is undertaken mainly by the Department of Technical and Vocational Education (DTVE), Ministry of Science and Technology, within a policy framework laid down by the Technical and Vocational Education Council. Under the council, a technical education committee and a vocational education committee monitor activities in their respective fields. Training of technicians is undertaken in government technical institutes and the training of skilled workers or basic craftsmen in the technical high schools. The government technical institutes and the technical high schools also offer shorter courses as well as part-time evening courses for those in employment. There are also industrial trade schools and handicraft schools offering short courses in certain occupations. The system of TVET accreditation is at the early stage of its development.

4.7 Thailand

Technical Vocational Education & Training in Thailand is provided through formal and non-formal institutional arrangements under the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare (MOLSW). Other ministries mainly train civil servants to meet their own personnel requirements. The Department of Vocational Education (DOVE) under the MOE is responsible for administering formal secondary-level and post-secondary-Ievel vocational and technical education. It operates technical institutes (upper-secondary and post-secondary), agricultural technical institutes and vocational colleges (upper secondary). There are also industrial community colleges in rural areas. DOVE has recently started offering non-formal courses of varying duration in technical institutes and vocational colleges, supplementing programs offered by the Department of Non-formal Education (DONE). DOVE has operated an evaluation system to improve the quality of TVET. Recently Department of Skills Development (DSD) has been operating a similar evaluation system to ensure higher standards.

4.8 Viet Nam

In 1990, the Ministry of General Education was combined with the Ministry of Higher, Technical and Vocational Education to establish the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) which is currently responsible for "state management" of the TVET system. Since 1991, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLlSA) has been involved in the provision of training through the establishment of Employment Services Centres (ESCs), which target specific groups such as unemployed youth or demobilized soldiers, and combine training with income generation, production, and employment promotion and placement activities. The need for accreditation system has been widely discussed within MOET. The system is being developed as a part of ongoing projects.

4.9 Korea

In Korea, the establishment of any public and authorized technical vocational training facility required authorization or approval of the Minister of Labor, pursuant to the Basic Vocational Training Act. In granting the authorization, the basic plan for vocational training is taken into account as well as a conformance to the vocational training standards concerning the curricula, facilities, teaching materials, etc. The authorization can be cancelled where the approval has been violated or not complied with, such as failure to meet the set standards. In a sense the operational framework of accrediting institutions and programs is one of a mandatory or government accreditation.

4.10 Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, the Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission (TVEC) is a statutory body to take charge of planning, coordinating and developing tertiary and vocational education at all levels. Specifically, the body is responsible for developing a nationally recognized system of granting TVE awards and certification, registration and accreditation of programmes, granting of subsidies to registered institutions and maintaining academic and training standards. The accreditation system is being developed as part of the on-going skills development loan project.

5. NEED OF REGIONAL ACCREDITATION FRAMEWORK

The introduction of a regional accreditation system would promote cooperation in TVET in the countries of Asia & Pacific region. The regional system would provide a mechanism for improving the quality of training and facilitate the exchange of skilled personnel and instructors. Potential centers of excellence could be identified through the introduction of the regional accreditation system. These centers will be institutions of international standard, providers of instructor training and focal points in the region.

To introduce a regional accreditation system, it is recommended that a regional accreditation committee consisting of representatives of all participating countries be established. The committee would have responsibility and authority to develop regional evaluation/accreditation criteria and implement the process of evaluation/accreditation system. Some of the salient tasks of the regional committee are as follows:

	Develop a common unified approach or framework in formulating guidelines for regional accreditation and certification system while respecting the diversity & cultural background of the countries
	Evolve uniform accreditation criteria/standards for key occupational areas in the region
	Facilitate exchange of skilled personals and mutual recognition of qualifications
	Encourage cooperation in employment promotion
	Establish a regional labor information network
	Encourage exchange of experiences and sharing of best practices in the region
	Evolve uniform certification system for key occupational areas in the region
	Establish a regional clearing house on accreditation and certification system

The mutual recognition of qualification between Japan and South Korea in the field of Information Technology is praise worthy initiatives noted in this regard.

6. REMARKS

Certification measures competencies of individual practitioners while accreditation evaluates instructional programs. Both of these processes are generally voluntary: institutions can function without accreditation and individuals can practice in their profession without certification. Professional bodies or government agencies administer regulation of accreditation and certification. Accreditation is done with the end in view to improve and strengthen the TVET systems through the quality assurance of programs and building up of institutional capability. These can be used as a tool for quality assurance. The demand for quality human resources is emerging in the Asia & Pacific region. Mobility of human resources across the boundary is now a common scene. Therefore an action plan needs to be initiated to develop shared strategy for mutual recognition of qualification and certification among Asia & Pacific countries.

REFERENCES

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