Accreditation Guidelines

1.     Seeking Accreditation

Training course owners or centers wishing to offer accredited training leading to ISTQB certificate must submit an application for accreditation to the Bangladesh Software Testing Board (BSTB). In reviewing the application, the BSTB Accreditation Panel will verify that the training course owner has the ability to teach the appropriate syllabus material using competent staff and appropriate materials.

The BSTB expects prospective training course owners or centers to have studied the ISTQB and BSTB Constitutions, and the appropriate syllabus, so that they have a full understanding of all requirements before preparing and submitting their applications.  The BSTB Accreditation Panel will reject incomplete applications.

2.     The Accreditation Application

The BSTB requires evidence of detailed planning and thought in the preparation to run an accredited training course. Training course owners or centers may include published documents and other existing material in their application. The BSTB expects that all course instructors should have demonstrable knowledge and practical experience in software testing and/or software engineering.  Furthermore, all trainers must hold the certificate that they teach.

The training course owners should submit an application using the ‘applying for accreditation’ form including the following data:

  1. Organization/Company profile.
  2. CV(s) of author(s) of the training materials, showing at least five years of practical experience.
  3. Detailed cross-reference coverage matrix: ISTQB syllabus vs. provided training materials, showing 100% syllabus coverage. (Please provide the following details: chapters, topics, hands-on / practice, the exact location in the provider’s materials and the duration for the above).
  4. Detailed durations for each course topic showing adequate time devoted to each section of the syllabus. (Include: topics, chapters, hands-on sessions and their duration).
  5. All course material and lecturers’ supporting material to be provided in both hard and soft copy (on CD); including trainer’s presentation graphics with any appended notes (in order to ensure that the right messages are going to be given when the course is running).
  6. Full set of handouts, exercises, and other supplements provided to students, where the training provider supplies students with copies of recommended books, in place or in addition to student notes, then a copy of the book shall be supplied to assist the board in the accreditation process.
  7. Evidence of a suitable configuration management system. (Mainly documentation management and version control).
  8. A signed BSTB Non-Disclosure Agreement.

The training course providers should submit an application using the ‘applying for accreditation form’ including the following data:

  1. Organization/Company profile.
  2. Detailed durations for each course topic showing adequate time devoted to each section of the syllabus. (Include: topics, chapters, hands-on sessions and their duration).
  3. Proof of relations with an accredited training course owner or accredited training course provider. (Show that the course materials are accredited). Formal letters required:
    1. Approval of accreditation given to the training course owner and/or the training course provider by official and acting ISTQB national board.
    2. Relationships declaration between the applicant and the training course owner, both from the applicant and the training course owner.
    3. Relationships declaration between the applicant and the training course provider, both from the applicant and the training course owner.

Note: This is needed when the applicant receives training services of an already accredited training course provider.

  1. Proof of practice in training of Software knowledge: a formal declaration paper from the Training course provider with respect to 3 years of experience.
  2. Instructor CV(s) showing at least five years of practical experience each.
  3. Video of the trainer’s performance {Optional}.
  4. Evidence of a suitable configuration management system. (Mainly documentation management and version control).
  5. A signed BSTB Non-Disclosure Agreement.

3.     Accreditation Types

  1. 1st application: For first-time applicants. The main flow of the process relates to this type of accreditation application.
  2. Re-evaluation:
    1. Re-evaluation is required in any of the following cases:
      1. Changes in the accredited materials upon new/updated deployed ISTQB syllabus.
      2. Training materials enhancement: when the training course owner decides to modify its materials and these modifications might cause a mismatch between the training materials and the ISTQB syllabus.
  • Training course provider enhancements: when the training course provider decides to replace its training course owner or its accredited training course provider (that gives training services).
  1. Re-evaluation process duration will be no longer then 6 months.
  2. Application for re-evaluation is the responsibility of the training course provider/provider.
  1. Re-accreditation:
    1. Re-accreditation is required in the following cases:
      1. After Rejection or Disqualification of the application.
      2. The accreditation period ended and application for renewal is required.
    2. The duration of the re-accreditation process as defined in this guidelines.
    3. Application for re-accreditation is the responsibility of the training course provider or the training course owner.
    4. The process of auto-renewal accreditation will be handled by the BSTB.
      4.     The Accreditation Procedure

Pre-Application

Following are the steps defined for the pre-application stage, and they relate to applicant preparations:

  1. The applicant chooses the accredited option(s) that it would like to apply for, as described above (Training course provider/Provider).
  2. The applicant prepares the required materials, fills in the “Applying for Accreditation” form, and sends it to the BSTB administration manager using the relevant/agreed delivery mechanism. (See ‘Delivery mechanisms’, chapter 14).

Note: Application for accreditation can be done only after filling in all relevant fields in the application form and attaching all relevant materials, as described above and in the following process stages.

Response to the Application

After getting the application form and material, the BSTB administration manager acts as follows:

  1. Registers the date and time of arrival of the materials
  2. Performs an initial check of the delivered form, materials and Sends a reply to the applicant that the application and the material have been received,
  3. Informs the BSTB that the application is ready to be promoted to the accreditation panel.

Accreditation Panel Phase

  1. Three assessors (at least) from the BSTB will form an accreditation panel. Each assessor produces an accreditation report.
  2. The panel should have the option of observing actual training sessions.
  3. The accreditation panel chair gathers the assessors’ comments, which are forwarded to the applicant. The assessors will make an initial recommendation within six weeks after the training course owner has submitted the application.
  4. After the assessors have evaluated the application, the course materials, and all other supporting materials, the accreditation panel will discuss the recommendations of the assessors and make one of the following decisions:
    1. Request additional information from the training course owner.
    2. Request changes to the training materials, with re-submittal of the changed materials (with changes highlighted) required for review and final approval.
    3. The maximum number of allowed correction cycles is 2 and the duration of each correction cycle is up to 3 weeks.

 

  1. The panel chair will send the conclusions and recommendations for approval or rejection to the BSTB.

Approval Announcement

  1. The approval will be sent in a formal letter to the applicant by the BSTB administration manager.
    1. Grant accreditation for the normal period of 3 years.
  2. A formal diploma shall be sent from the board to the applicant that describes the relevant certification(s) it has received.
  3. The application and all of its material shall be placed in the board archive.
  1. The announcement shall be published with in 1 week of the decision.

Rejection Announcement

  1. The rejection will be sent in a formal letter to the applicant by the BSTB administration manager.
    1. The rejection reasons shall be stated in the letter.
    2. There is no way to appeal.
    3. The applicant can apply for re-accreditation only after a latency period of at least 6 months from the rejection declaration.
  2. The announcement shall be published with in 1 week from the decision.

Note:

BSTB members and/or accreditation panel members shall ensure that there is no conflict of interests related to a specific application.

5. General

BSTB will endeavor to process the application in the shortest possible time. The application will take no more than three months.

During the accreditation-processing period, training course owners or centers may mention that the course has been submitted for accreditation, but may not advertise the course as accredited or use the BSTB or ISTQB logos.

Once accreditation is granted, the training course owner will receive notification of the BSTB accreditation panel’s decision.  Upon receiving accreditation, the training course owner has permission to advertise the course as accredited. Once accredited, training course owners or centers may use the BSTB logo and the ISTQB logo for the accredited course. A formal certification of the accreditation will be issued by BSTB for that training course owner or center as described above.

6. Protecting the Accreditation

As a condition of accreditation, training course owners and centers must comply with any changes in regulations or the syllabus. The BSTB will usually give training course owners and centers at least six months notice of significant changes.

All training course owners and centers should plan on receiving at least one audit visit during the three-year accreditation period. In addition, BSTB reserves the right to monitor the performance of accredited training course owners and centers in a variety of ways, e.g. by short notice audit visits to courses in progress and by assessment of examination results. Training course owners and centers are therefore required to notify BSTB of all course dates together with venue information. The training course owner and center and the accreditation panel will receive a report from the auditor(s).  The report is confidential, subject to the BSTB Non-Disclosure Agreement, and disclosed only to members of the BSTB Executive Board and/or Accreditation Panel members, on a “need to know” basis.

7.     Withdrawal of Accreditation

The BSTB may withdraw accreditation at any time in the case of behavior that undermines the integrity of the certification. Examples include substitution of unapproved instructors, deletion of required topics from the course materials, inadequate time devoted to required topics, providing confidential BSTB or ISTQB materials to course attendees as study guides, or making misleading claims regarding the courses.  If BSTB detects such behavior, the BSTB alternatively may request immediate remedial action by the training course owner or center as a condition of retaining accreditation.

8.     Renewal of Accreditation

At the end of each accreditation period, the accreditation panel will conduct a review and may wish to audit the training course owner. If the review proves satisfactory, the BSTB will renew the training course owners or centers accreditation for a further three-year period.

9.     Trainers

The BSTB must approve all course instructors prior to their teaching an accredited course. The training course owner should submit the candidate instructors CV.  The candidate instructor must have at least five years practical experience in software testing and/or software engineering. The accreditation panel may interview the applicant by phone or in person. The BSTB will approve or reject a candidate instructor within four weeks.  Rejected instructors, along with the training course owner who nominated the instructor, will receive notification of the reason.

10. Language

Training course owners or centers must submit all applications and information to the BSTB in English.

11. Fees and Payments

The BSTB (as a non-profit organization) does not keep any fees from the applicant. But to cover expenses of BSTB administration a minimum fees will be applicable in near future.

12. Breach of Copyright

BSTB will check to see that course materials submitted for accreditation belong to the applicant.  However, BSTB cannot guarantee that training course owners or centers commit to not breaching copyrights. If a training course owner can prove that an organization applying for accreditation or already accredited by BSTB has infringed copyright laws, BSTB will reject the application or withdraw accreditation and ask the organization to re-submit new materials. Please note that BSTB will not become further involved in any dispute between the two Training course owners or centers.

 

13. Need More Information?

For more information, send an e-mail to:

nzamaan@gmail.com, nuruzzaman@istqb.org

or send a letter to:

Dr. Mohammad Nuruzzaman

President

Bangladesh Software Testing Board (BSTB)
19/1, West Panthapath, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh

Phone: +88 01713 493166

14. Delivery mechanisms

The delivery mechanisms are: email, Fax, post, and by hand.

The delivery mechanisms will be used as defined in the accreditation procedure.

Note: the BSTB defines a reasonable delivery mechanism for each specific task (e.g. the BSTB does not expect that the training course owners or centers will send the training slides to the BSTB by Fax).

 

Copyright © BSTB 2026