SDO-SCC targets 100% Public Schools for ISO Certification

SAN CARLOS CITY, Pangasinan – Following the SDO’s ISO accomplished track, the division office bucked up its 75 public elementary and secondary schools to be the first 100% ISO 9001:2015 certified in the Philippines as administrators and key teachers were tapped to comply to two lead off stages of standardization – Stage 1: Awareness and Orientation Course for Schools on ISO 9001:2015 and Stage 2: Documentation on Quality Management System held at SEPNAS Perez Hall, September 10-14.

The first stage served to provide an overview of the purpose and requirements of ISO 9001:2015 in improving the Quality Management System (QMS) of the schools. Stage 2 served to provide Document Controllers knowledge about ISO Requirements in terms of documented information in order to prepare Procedure Manuals, Work Instruction Manuals and listing of quality documents and records.

According to Executive Order 605 s. 2007, all government agencies are mandated to be ISO certified. With this, SDS Sheila Marie A. Primicias urged all public school administrators to even division office’s 90-day span of ISO (International Organization for Standardization) journey to certification.

“If successfully certified, SDO-SCC public schools would be the third among schools in the entire Philippines following Davao and Tagaytay which qualified in ISO 9001:2015 certification,” said SDS Primicias.

Participants in  said activity were public elementary and secondary school principals, heads, master and/or key teachers. They were divided into 6 clusters – Clusters 1-4 for elementary and Clusters 5-6 for secondary. Every cluster is led by their central schools as the over-all managers providing divided tasks to accomplish in meeting ISO ultimate goal.

The schools top managements called QMR (Quality Management Representatives) which consist of DC (Document Controllers), IQA (Internal Quality Audit member), CIG (Continuous Improvement Group member) and MRC (Management Review Committee) ensure the excellent performance of teachers and administrators to satisfy their premises customers through standardized forms.

 

To equip the top management officials and controllers with knowledge and strategies on assessing risk and opportunities, MRC requires the team to periodically review the QMS to ensure its continuing suitability, adequacy, effectiveness and alignment with the strategic direction of the organization.

Meanwhile, CIG notes that continual improvement can be achieved by breakthrough projects as well as by small step by step ongoing improvement within existing processes.

IQA also ensures the conduct of a timely and effective internal audit and calls for and presides over meetings, conferences and briefings of the management.

On the other hand, the DC manages Unit/Office/Process documents while also ensuring their accuracy, quality and integrity and adheres to record retention policies, safeguards information and retrieves data more effectively.

After lectures on requirements and documentation, the Internal Service Group tasked the school clusters to list all internal and external quality forms and records,and prepare coded PMs and WIMs.

“For a start, the school clusters should cascade from top to bottom the implementation of Quality Management System; all stakeholders shall commit themselves to the development and implementation of the QMS throughout the organization,” said ISG Junior Auditor Joan Marie A. Mercader.

By: Ranjit de Guzman