The five stages of grief in ESOS: acceptance is where progress begins

Written By Helen Harb

Author: Alan Manly OAM
January 2026

Alan Manly’s latest article in Koala News frames a pattern many in international education have lived through repeatedly: each major ESOS revision triggers a familiar cycle — denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.

The most important line for us is in the conclusion: “Credibility has become currency.” The providers that adapt early don’t do it because they enjoy compliance — they do it because evidence, governance and repeatable systems are now core to trust.

What this means operationally (not just philosophically)

Across the five stages, the practical challenge is the same: demonstrate integrity and compliance with defensible evidence, without compromising student experience or operational efficiency.

What “acceptance” looks like in practice
Providers that move first tend to invest in:

  • Evidence-ready processes (clear audit trails, consistent reporting outputs)

  • Governance controls (policy aligned to what you can actually evidence)

  • Operational systems that scale under scrutiny

How invigilatorPlus supports evidence and governance in online assessment

invigilatorPlus is designed to help institutions operationalise integrity with:

  • identity assurance and controlled exam session delivery

  • evidence capture and incident reporting outputs

  • configurable rules aligned to assessment requirements

To read Alan Manly’s full perspective on ESOS change cycles, you can access his article in The Koala News here:
→ Read the Koala News article

Alan Manly OAM is a distinguished entrepreneur, innovator, director, and author with decades of experience in technology and education. He has held directorships in private, public, and non-profit sectors. He was the CEO and PEO of RTOs and Higher Education Institutions for over twenty years.

Helen Harb
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Diarise or Die