UNIVERSITY MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM – (A case study of Caritas University Enugu)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

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

At Caritas University, the need for an effective and efficient automated management information system cannot be overemphasized. This is because it is a private University whose major source of funding is by fee payment from the students , receipts are then issued to the students as evidence of payments which they must present before; taking exams, getting accommodation in the 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 receipt before attending to student even on emergency cases, the clearance officer is not an exemption as he personally and manually goes through all the students‟ receipts and certifies them by issuing clearance cards before examinations, in the library either Identity or clearance card must be presented before been allowed to enter the library . The school registrar case is worst as final year data are been examine critically before final clearance as he personally access all students data before their finally clearance,. This manual processing system has caused loss of receipts, clearance cards, ID cards and time delay during the clearance period, treatment and even in accessing library. In order 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 promising prospect for educational institutions in order to enhance the entire management system. The proposed system would store, route, display and issue receipt electronically. This system not only enhances the university’s document management, It also allows decisions to be made faster and more effectively and 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 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 source of fund is based only on students payment no external funding like other public universities. To these effect proper documentation of student payments record are highly essential hence the need to present receipts as evidence of payment before been render services like Hostel accommodation, Students Registration Number, Students Identity Card, Medical Treatment, Given access to library etc. Students who do not present these receipt are been denied these services even when there have paid or not in order word it is expected by all students in the institution to always carry along their receipt whenever the are in need of these services. At these juncture it may interest to know that the above service are been paid into one account and the receipt issue is one. Going about with these receipt throughout an academic year has really been challenging for the students as many has lost theirs or others been turn which has lead majority into frustration or been 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 render to the student these is because of their growing large number and the manual process of assessing their records before been render services.

Since development come, that triggered the necessity to record information in different areas of endeavor, it has always been difficult to manage large amount of data. This is still a serious problem not only to the institution but to Nigeria economy as a whole. The present system used manual way of writing on paper and recording. These process is very slow and the proposed system, management information system been introduced to solve all this problems. This new system will be capable of retrieving data from its database where payment records can easily be access, updates, delete without any receipts for confirmation.

The new system will also meet the need of fast processing which greatly reduced response time.

1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

The management of human resources has remained the most complex aspect of many organizations. In fact, 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 a backbone of any organization.

Caritas University Enugu, is really facing a lot of challenges when it comes to human resources management as students move around with files, document and receipt before been render services like accommodation, medication, given access to library and the worst part is clearance for examination. These constant moving about with receipts, files and documents have really resulted into files getting missing, receipts being turn and even the school cabinet getting jammed, delaying the presentation of certain information about the student, destruction of files and records, time required to record as well as presenting an information and also 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 general objective of the study is to design and implement a prototype of human resources management system which can be used to manage human resources in the institution. With the following objectives
i. Eliminate heavy paper processing during clearance, exams, medical treatment, hostel allocation and exams
ii. Provide a more efficient and simpler 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 provide solutions to the problems of inaccuracy, alteration, delay, loss of receipts and irregularities in the manual system of clearance.
v. Maintaining timely preparation of school fees receipts
vi. Enable parents or guardians know if their children are truly paying fees.
vii. Reduce queuing up of students during exam, clearance, accommodation, lab test etc.
viii. Help management in decision making.
ix. Generate receipt and clearance card immediately after payment.
x. To reduce stress and gain easy access to both students and staffs record.
It also aims at providing a well secure database management system. Most importantly, this project work aims at eliminating the problems encountered in the manual system of human resources management system.

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 display during exams clearance as Lectures are sometimes missed by students as a result of presenting their payment credentials before obtaining clearance form without which they will not sit for their exams. Thus this study is significant to eliminate these inefficiencies.

1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This research work will concentrate on both students and staff in the institution covering students admission form which include name ,sex, date of birth, date of admission, department, faculty it also covers all the services they pay for which are; 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 record, deleting staff record 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 introduction: Background of the study, Statement of the problem, Aims and objective of the study, Significance of the study, Scope of the study and definition of terms. Chapter2 elaborate on the different review 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 existing system, system design, database design, System flow chart, 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 summary, limitation, recommendation, BEME, conclusion.

1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS

HUMAN RESOURCES: It is a department in an organization that deals with employees records, hiring and retirement.
MANAGEMENT: It is the co-ordination of all the resources in an organization through the process of planning, organizing, directing and controlling.
PUBLIC SECTOR: The industries and services that are owned and run by the government.
PRIVATE SECTOR: The industries and services that are owned and run by private companies.
SYSTEM: A method or set of procedures and even personnel working together as a whole to achieve a goal.
DATA: This are numbers, text or images which are in a form suitable for storage in a computer or processed by a computer, or an incomplete information/ unprocessed information.
INFORMATION: This is a meaningful material derived from computer data by organizing it 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 employment of a 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).