If you want to know the status of institutions within Bhutan, we provide the information on them. This facilitates the funding and transnational mobility of students. A robust internationally accepted procedure on the accreditation is in place.

The Bhutan Accreditation Council has endorsed the Accreditation Principles in 2012. Based on the principles, the Council has also endorsed the Accreditation Manual 2014 for the accreditation of the Tertiary Education Institutions (TEIs) in Bhutan. The manual gives the gist of what needs to be considered in this important exercise of accreditation.

Accreditation is a collective professional approach towards achieving, maintaining and exceeding envisaged standards as described in the Accreditation Principle. In short it is a professional proof of quality of public, private, and professional programmes. Accreditation is a testimony of quality and ensures that the institution has met the required standards.

In addition to policy oversight and intervention by the Ministry of Education for the purpose of the value of investment made, accreditation process is the main instrument towards practically ensuring quality of tertiary education through professional mechanism, which is being highlighted in this Accreditation Manual.

The manual is used as a working tool in creating a vibrant professional ambience in our TEIs through ongoing accreditation and quality assurance processes. All players involved in the accreditation process use the manual. It gives the overview of the Bhutan Accreditation Council, the roles and responsibilities of different players, the accreditation process, the standards and the key aspects under each standard, the fees, the accreditation status and the accreditation documentation. The accreditation system is made credible by all stakeholders through the manual.

The accreditation of TEIs shall be based on the following six core standards consisting of 36 key aspects:

1. Curricular elements
2. Research, innovative practices and institutional linkages
3. Governance, leadership and management
4. Infrastructure and learning resources
5. Student services
6. Internal quality assurance and enhancement system

The accreditors shall declare their conflict of interest with the institutions they are assigned to. Even the institutions shall accept the team of accreditors who do not have the conflict of interest.

The grading is based on the marks obtained out of 1000 as follows:

The Secretariat issues the notifications to the TEIs to prepare their Institutional Self-Assessment Report (ISAR) based on the time-line endorsed by the Council and agreed by the TEIs. The accreditors are identified, trained and involved for the accreditation process. The site visits are conducted to validate the claims made in the ISAR and to confirm the grades awarded. The findings of the site visits are shared for the TEIs to take any initiatives for improvement. The Secretariat organizes a meeting of the Council to endorse the grades and award the Accreditation Certificate to the TEI. The validity of the certificate depends on the grade the TEI has secured. There is also a provision of reaccreditation for failing the accreditation and reassessment for making an improvement in the grade.

The public may like to see the accreditation status for making a choice of the TEI. The funding of the TEI may also be based on its accreditation status.

The TEI may also seek accreditation from regional and international agencies in order to uplift its fame.

The institutions shall consistently endeavour not only to maintain the minimum standards they have achieved but also to continuously improve and enhance the quality of the institution. These may be based on the recommendations made by the accreditors or through their own initiative of using innovative practices.