University Management Information System

University Management Information System – (A Case Study of Caritas University Enugu)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Several interrelated pressures have created the need for change in polytechnics: expansion of higher education; changing student profile; forces from the industry; increased competition; information technology (IT) capability. In familiar with other public sector institutions, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) seek to maintain the three “Es” of efficiency, effectiveness and economy by adopting private sector managerial techniques. Business Process Re-Engineering is currently used as a change management strategy in several UK Higher Education Institutions.

The need for an effective and efficient automated management information system at Caritas University cannot be overemphasized. This is because it is a private University whose primary source of funding is fee payment from the students; receipts are then issued to the students as evidence of costs which they must present before; taking exams, getting accommodation on campus, submission of course forms, lab test and treatment, accessing school library, getting ID cards etc. Over the past few years, enrolment of students into the University has steadily increased, with its attendant demanding more on the school doctor, who personally and manually goes through students’ receipts before attending to students. Even in emergency cases, the clearance officer is not an exemption as he personally and manually goes through all the students‟ passes and certifies them by issuing clearance cards before examinations; in the library, either Identity or clearance cards must be presented before being allowed to enter the library. The school registrar’s case is the worst as final year data are examined critically before final clearance as he accesses all student’s data before their final approval; this manual processing system has caused loss of receipts, clearance cards, ID cards and time delays during the clearance period, treatment and even in accessing the library. To speed up this process and simplify this manual record processing system, the development of an electronic database system is thus being proposed in this project work.

This computer-based management information system has a promising prospect for educational institutions to enhance the entire management system. The proposed plan would store, route, display and issue receipts electronically. This system improves the University’s document management and allows decisions to be made faster, more effectively, and more efficiently.

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Caritas University is a private university approved by the federal government of Nigeria on December 16 2004. It is situated in Enugu and was officially opened on January 21, 2005, by the then Minister of Education, Prof. Fabian Osuji, with all its student staying in a hostel. It is the second catholic University in Nigeria founded by Rev Fr Prof Emmanuel Paul Mathew Edeh C.C.Sp OFR. The proprietor of the University is the sisters of Jesus the Savior, a religious congregation founded by him.

Caritas University’s source of funds is based only on students’ payments and no external funding like other public universities. To this effect, proper documentation of student payments record is essential, hence the need to present receipts as evidence of payment before being rendered services like Hostel accommodation, Students Registration Number, Students Identity Card, Medical Treatment, Access to the library etc. Students who do not present these receipts are denied these services even when there have paid or not. In order words, all students in the institution are always expected to carry receipts whenever they need these services. It may be interesting to know that the above service has been paid into one account, and the receipt issue is one. Going about with these receipts throughout an academic year has been challenging for the students as many have lost theirs or others have been turned, which has led the majority into frustration or being forced to pay extra money for a new receipt.

It is also observed that even with the receipt, there is a high delay in services rendered to the student. This is because of their growing large number and the manual process of assessing their records before being rendered services.

Since development has triggered the necessity to record information in different areas of endeavour, managing large amounts of data, has always been difficult. This is still a severe problem for the institution and Nigeria’s economy. The present system uses a manual way of writing on paper and recording. This process is prolonged, and the proposed management information system has been introduced to solve all these problems. This new system will be capable of retrieving data from its database, where payment records can readily be accessed, updated, and deleted without any confirmation receipts.

The new system will also meet the need for fast processing, significantly reducing response time.

1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Managing human resources has remained the most complex aspect of many organizations. This had been the reason why most management.

VISITOR CHANCELLOR

GOVERNING COUNCIL

THE SENATE

VICE CHANCELLOR

DVC ADMINISTRATION

DVC ACADEMICS

Dean Of Faculties

University Liberian

Head of Academic Department

Coordinator academic program

Academic Adviser

Security Dept

Director Medical Services

Dean Of Student‟s affairs Affairs

Bursar

Registrar

Director of Works

Head Of Administrative Registry Departments scientists in the research identified human resources management as the backbone of any organization.

Caritas University Enugu faces many challenges regarding human resources management as students move around with files, documents and receipts before being rendered services like accommodation, medication, access to the library, and the worst part is clearance for examination. These constant moving about with receipts, files and documents have really resulted in files getting missing and receipts being turned. Even the school cabinet gets jammed, delaying the presentation of certain information about the student, destruction of files and records, time required to record as well as presenting information and the cost of purchasing files, paper and furniture and fixtures.

The lack of a computerized method of record-keeping further compounds the problem.

1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The study’s general objective is to design and implement a human resources management system prototype for the following purposes: to manage human resources in the institution.

i. Eliminate heavy paper processing during clearance, exams, medical treatment, hostel allocation and exams

ii. Provide a more efficient and more straightforward means of handling and updating students’ fees, staff promotion and other records

iii. To provide a quick, accurate and timely query response system

iv. To solve the problems of inaccuracy, alteration, delay, loss of receipts and irregularities in the manual clearance system.

v. Maintaining timely preparation of school fees receipts

vi. Enable parents or guardians to know if their children pay fees.

vii. Reduce queuing up of students during exams, clearance, accommodation, lab tests etc.

viii. Help management in decision-making.

ix. Generate receipt and clearance card immediately after payment.

x. To reduce stress and easily d access students’ and staff’s records.

It also aims at providing a well-secure database management system. Most importantly, this project seeks to eliminate the problems encountered in the manual human resources management method.

1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study is aimed at replacing the inefficient and ineffective time-wasting manual school registry management system in accessing students’ information whose negative impact is highly displayed during exams clearance as students sometimes miss Lectures as a result of presenting their payment credentials before obtaining clearance forms without which they will not sit for their exams. Thus this study is significant in eliminating these inefficiencies.

1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This research will concentrate on students and staff in the institution, covering students’ admission forms, including name, sex, date of birth, date of admission, department, and faculty. It also covers all the services they pay for: school fees, medical fees, library fees, hostel fees etc. Staff employment form, which includes the name, sex, location, in fact, information about the staff, performance assessment, retirement and handling of some queries like; updating staff records, deleting staff records on retirement or withdrawal and searching for staff information as the case may be.

1.6 PROJECT REPORT ORGANIZATION

This project work is organized into five chapters. Chapter 1 covers the introduction: Background of the study, Statement of the problem, Aims and objective of the study, Significance of the study, Scope of the research and definition of terms. Chapter 2 elaborates on the different reviews by various authors. Chapter 3 is on system analysis and design, which entails the following: research methodology, method of data collection, analysis of the existing system, limitation of the current system, system design, database design, System flow chart, and top-down design; chapter 4 on Implementation testing and integration; choice of development tools, system requirement, software requirements, Hardware requirement, implementation, testing while chapter 5 is on the summary, limitation, recommendation, BEME, conclusion.

1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS

HUMAN RESOURCES: It is a department in an organization that deals with employee records, hiring and retirement.

MANAGEMENT: It coordinates all the resources in an organization through planning, organizing, directing and controlling.

PUBLIC SECTOR: The industries and services owned and run by the government.

PRIVATE SECTOR: The industries and services owned and run by private companies.

SYSTEM: A method or set of procedures and even personnel working together to achieve a goal.

DATA: This is numbers, text or images in a form suitable for storage in a computer or processed by a computer or incomplete information/ unprocessed information.

INFORMATION: This is meaningful material derived from computer data by organizing and interpreting it in a specific way.

INPUT: Data entered into the computer for storage or processing.

OUTPUT: Information produced from a computer after processing.

INFORMATION SYSTEM: A set of interrelated components that collect (or retrieve), process, store, and distribute information to support decision-making and control in an organization.

APPOINTMENT: Appointment is a term used to refer to the employment of new staff to provide some services to the institution.

LEAVE: Leave is a term used to refer work free day(s) granted to staff to rest to carry out some personal activities elsewhere ( away from the working station).

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