MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRPERSON

To: Indian Education Community

From: Dr. Anjlee Prakash
Education Quality Foundation of India

Subject: Why is EQFI Important for You?

While literacy has always been the key word in the educational scenario of post independent India, the time has now come to look at another dimension to education and that is Quality Standards and the process of quality assurance and accreditation. There may be different types of schools but they all have the same mission and that is ensuring that classrooms exist with enough quality to provide learning experiences that matter for all the students they serve. The National Curriculum Framework 2005 has also strongly articulated the need for a substantial improvement in the Quality of education.

Education Quality Foundation of India is a revolutionary movement that has been started under the guidance of some of the best talents in education from all over India. It is the endeavour of EQFI to reshape how quality has been perceived in the context of Indian education today. Supported by experienced educationists in the field, EQFI has systematically approached the issue of quality keeping in mind the specific working conditions and needs of the Indian School system.

The EQFI Criteria has been prepared after a great deal of research and owes its credibility to the fact that it is based on the standards for quality as envisaged in many world documents on Quality in Educationand adapted to the Indian educational senario.

Society and the community have raised the demand for quality school education and so arising from this we need to understand how is quality determined? How is an institution accredited, to have maintained quality standards? Why go in for accreditation?

The reasons are many. By going in or by going through the process that leads to accreditation, the institution or organization will:

• be making a special effort to conform to benchmarks of global standards
• be able to attract students and stakeholders
• be conscious of all the parameters that go into such accreditation.

Whether your institution is small or large; is involved in elementary, secondary, or higher education; and has one or multiple locations, the Education Criteria stated in this document provides a valuable framework that can help you measure performance and plan with a focus on the future.

We believe at EQFI that all schools ‘can learn’ when they are committed to continuous improvement, develop plans and targets that address their goals, seek feedback on their performance, use data to reflect on outcomes, share information and celebrate their achievements.

The journey is long and challenging but the history of Education in India is witness to the fact that we have always welcomed any positive change with open arms. Keeping this in mind we wish to share our vision of an India where quality is embedded in and is the key to success in every educational institution.

All the Best!

Dr. Anjlee Prakash
Chairperson