# ICEQC-QF-1000:2026 — International Education Quality Core Requirements Status: Development Version: Development Edition 0.1 A modular core for evaluating educational quality across organizations, learning services, digital learning and educational technology. ## 1 Scope This document defines common education-quality requirements that can be combined with an ICEQC sector standard, certification scheme, applicability module and jurisdictional boundary. It evaluates the declared education-quality object and does not by itself establish legal authority to provide education. ## 2 Terms and controlled interpretation **[REQUIREMENT]** Terms shall be interpreted using the current ICEQC controlled terminology. In the event of ambiguity, the published authoritative-language version and scheme rules prevail. Evidence expectation: Declared terminology and controlled-document references. ## 4 Defined education-quality object and context **[REQUIREMENT]** The applicant shall define the exact organization, service, programme, platform, product, claim or person role to be assessed, including sites or virtual environments, learner groups, delivery modes, jurisdictions, exclusions and dependencies. Evidence expectation: Legal identity, scope statement, sites, versions, learner groups and exclusions. ## 5 Governance, accountability and integrity **[REQUIREMENT]** The applicant shall assign accountable authority for education quality, manage conflicts of interest, maintain accurate public representations and control material changes affecting the certified scope. Evidence expectation: Governance chart, delegated authorities, conflict controls, public claims and change log. ## 6 Learner and stakeholder needs **[REQUIREMENT]** The applicant shall identify relevant learner characteristics, needs, prior knowledge, accessibility requirements and reasonable expectations, and shall use them when designing and reviewing the education service or product. Evidence expectation: Learner profiles, needs analysis, accessibility review and design decisions. ## 7 Educational purpose and outcomes **[REQUIREMENT]** The applicant shall define clear educational purposes and intended learning outcomes appropriate to the declared learner group and shall communicate them accurately before participation or purchase. Evidence expectation: Published outcomes, programme specifications and pre-contract information. ## 8 Design and change control **[REQUIREMENT]** The applicant shall use a documented process to design, approve, test, release, review and materially change the education service or product, including responsibility, evidence and version control. Evidence expectation: Design records, approvals, pilot evidence, release records and change history. ## 9 Personnel competence and support **[REQUIREMENT]** Persons whose work affects education quality shall have defined competence requirements, verified competence, role-appropriate induction and continuing support. External credentials shall be verified where a role legally or technically depends on them. Evidence expectation: Role profiles, verification records, observed practice and development records. ## 10 Transparent learner information **[REQUIREMENT]** The applicant shall provide accurate and accessible information on scope, prerequisites, delivery, expected workload, fees, cancellation, support, assessment, data use, limitations and complaints before commitment. Evidence expectation: Website, contract, enrolment flow, product listing and versioned disclosures. ## 11 Controlled education delivery **[REQUIREMENT]** The applicant shall deliver the declared service consistently, monitor material deviations and maintain records sufficient to demonstrate that planned learning and support processes occurred. Evidence expectation: Schedules, attendance or use records, delivery samples, observation and exception logs. ## 12 Assessment and feedback integrity **[REQUIREMENT]** Where learner assessment is part of the scope, the applicant shall define its purpose, validity, fairness, accessibility, identity and integrity controls, feedback process, records and appeal route. Evidence expectation: Assessment blueprint, samples, moderation, access arrangements, integrity controls and appeals. ## 13 Safeguarding, wellbeing and foreseeable risk **[REQUIREMENT]** The applicant shall identify and control foreseeable risks to learners, including child and vulnerable-person safeguarding where applicable, escalation, incident response and required external reporting. Evidence expectation: Risk register, safeguarding policy, training, reporting route, incident samples and external evidence where needed. ## 14 Accessibility, inclusion and equitable treatment **[REQUIREMENT]** The applicant shall identify barriers, provide reasonable and transparent support, avoid unjustified exclusion and test the accessibility of relevant information, learning activities, assessments and digital interfaces. Evidence expectation: Accessibility evaluation, accommodation process, interface testing and case samples. ## 15 Data protection, privacy and security **[REQUIREMENT]** The applicant shall define lawful and proportionate collection, access, retention, sharing, protection and deletion controls for learner and stakeholder data and shall manage relevant security incidents. Evidence expectation: Data inventory, privacy notice, access controls, retention schedule, processors and incident records. ## 16 Digital technology and artificial intelligence **[REQUIREMENT]** Digital and AI-enabled functions affecting learners shall have defined purposes, human accountability, performance and limitation evidence, age and accessibility controls, privacy and security controls, monitoring, incident response and a route for meaningful human review. Evidence expectation: System inventory, impact assessment, validation, monitoring, human-review samples and incident log. ## 17 Complaints, appeals and remedies **[REQUIREMENT]** The applicant shall provide accessible, timely and impartial processes for complaints and relevant appeals, communicate outcomes, protect against retaliation and use case evidence for improvement. Evidence expectation: Published route, case register, response times, decisions and corrective actions. ## 18 Evaluation of educational performance **[REQUIREMENT]** The applicant shall use valid and proportionate evidence to evaluate whether the education service or product is operating as intended and shall distinguish measured outcomes from unverified marketing claims. Evidence expectation: Evaluation plan, datasets, analysis, limitations, outcome reporting and claim substantiation. ## 19 Nonconformity, corrective action and improvement **[REQUIREMENT]** The applicant shall identify failures, determine causes, implement and verify corrective action, assess recurrence risk and use evidence to improve the certified scope without concealing material adverse information. Evidence expectation: Issue register, root-cause records, corrective actions, effectiveness checks and improvement decisions. ## Annex A Remote evidence modes R-A uses authenticated documents, records, data, interviews and system demonstrations. R-B adds live witnessing, remote tour or random sampling. R-C adds recognized independent laboratory, inspection, licence, insurance or specialist evidence where ICEQC cannot establish technical or physical safety solely by remote review. Evidence mode indicates method, not certification rank or level. --- ICEQC certification is voluntary and does not constitute governmental authorization, institutional licensing, programme accreditation, degree recognition or academic equivalency.