Who runs PIST, and how
An institution that awards diplomas has to be accountable for them. PIST is registered under Act XXI of 1860, and that Act does not simply grant a name — it requires a governing body that holds the institution’s property, files an annual list of its office-bearers, and answers for its decisions.
This page sets out that structure: the governing body, the committees that carry specific responsibilities, and which office decides what. It is the practical answer to a fair question — when PIST issues an award, who stands behind it?
The legal basis
Governance at PIST is not a matter of preference. The Societies Registration Act, 1860 sets out obligations that a registered society must meet, and those obligations shape the structure below.
The full text of the Act is on the Act XXI of 1860 page, where it can also be read and downloaded.
How responsibility is divided
The governing body sets policy and carries ultimate responsibility. Day-to-day authority is delegated to committees with defined remits, so that academic judgement, examination integrity and financial control are not concentrated in one person.
The governing body registered under the Act. It approves policy and the annual accounts, appoints the committees below, and is the body in whom the institution’s property vests.
Owns the curriculum: which trades are offered, what each course contains, its duration, and the standard a candidate must reach. It approves new programmes before they are taught anywhere.
Responsible for assessment integrity — constituting examination centres, the conduct of papers, marking and moderation, and the handling of irregularities. Its rules are published in our regulations.
Oversees fees, expenditure and the annual accounts, and ensures that no surplus is distributed to members — the non-profit requirement the Act imposes.
Keeps the official register of awards, allocates roll and log numbers, issues and withdraws documents, and answers verification enquiries. Every award traces back to this office.
Assesses institutes applying to become an Approved Training Partner, and monitors those already affiliated against the standard they agreed to.
Office-bearers
Under Section 4 of the Act, the list of PIST’s office-bearers is filed annually with the Registrar of Societies. The current list is available on request, and the positions it covers are set out below.
Requesting the filed list, the memorandum, or written confirmation of an office-bearer’s authority? Write to the Registrar and state the purpose — we supply these to employers, authorities and prospective partner institutes.
Accountability in practice
Structure only matters if it changes what happens to a person. In practice it means an award is not one official’s decision: the curriculum is approved by one committee, the assessment governed by another, and the record kept by a third office that can be asked to account for it.
It also means every change to a student’s record is logged with who made it and when, that an award can be withdrawn as well as granted, and that a decision can be challenged. If you believe a result or a record is wrong, the route is the same for everyone — write to the Registrar, in writing, and you will receive a decision you can point to.
Write to the RegistrarCommon questions
Employers, authorities and partner institutes can request the memorandum, the filed list of office-bearers, or confirmation of an office-bearer’s authority.
Contact PIST