Download The Role of ICT in University Governance in Tanzania

The Role of ICT in University
Governance in Tanzania
A Paper Prepared for presentation at the Higher Education
Forum 2012
By: Prof. Beda Mutagahywa
College of Engineering and Technology
University of Dar es Salaam
P.O. Box 35131
Dar Es Salaam. Tanzania
Email: [email protected]
5/25/2017
Higher Education Forum 2012
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The Role of ICT in University
Governance in Tanzania
Agenda
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Introduction
Governance defined.
ICT and ICT Trends
ICT in Teaching, Research and Community
engagement
ICT in Administration
Conclusions and Recommendations.
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Introduction
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ICTs (PCs and Internet) well deployed in Universities
Maturity average 1-2 on the scale 0-5
ICTs inevitable as economies transit to knowledge
economies
Everybody in Universities can access network
resources……smart phones
Review ICT Integration, identify role in University
governance and make recommendations.
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Governance defined…
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University Governance….“the means and processes
which facilitate the functioning of a University in terms of
making right decisions and take actions at the right time.”
It also refers to both the relationships between internal
and external governance structures and actors and the
manner in which they influence each other.
World Bank on good governance.. ”predictable, open,
enlightened policy making; a bureaucracy imbued with a
professional ethos; government accountable for its
actions; a strong civil society participating in public
affairs and all behaving under the rule of law.”
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Governance defined…
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e-governance defined ..as the application of ICT in all operational
functions of a University;
 Increasing access to processes of making policy/rules/procedures
and access to existing policies/rules/procedures.
 Interaction - management/administration with internal and external
stake holders.
 Transparency and accountability in budgetary and financial
management, revenue mobilization and expenditure.
 Monitoring performance .
 Simplification of academic and administrative processes.
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Governance defined…
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ICT is cross cutting, costs and risks are high…
This is indeed why apart from mainstreaming the role of ICT in
University governance (e-governance), HEIs need to focus also on
putting in place ICT governance structures and respect them:
 to ensure that plans are developed and priorities set collectively;
 to ensure that all ICT related actions taken are consistent with
university wide shared values, strategies and objectives;
 to ensure that risks are properly mitigated; and
 to ensure that investments made return the value expected.
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ICT-Governance challenges…
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…..to ensure alignment of the University objectives and the objectives
of the ICT organization-Business Alignment BA
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ICT service Management....to ensure uninterrupted business
operations.
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ICT Organization's... is planning services, ensuring business continuity
and managing services roll-outs in cooperation with the service
provider.
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Strategic applications .. there should be a Service Owner ... business
requirements and to authorize changes related to the service...
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ICT-ICT Trends…
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Limited knowledge of ICT resources and its
management.(digital immigrants vs natives)
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Applications supporting University business should be
supported by strong technical, knowledge and
organizational infrastructures.
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A steady decrease in the unit cost of computing power,
cloud computing through broad band telecommunication
networks and mobile devices.
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ICT in research, teaching and
community engagement
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Universities in Tanzania need to form a strong
collaborative Institution (eg. NREN) .
Form a National Virtual Library, to promote access to
recent publications and to provide opportunity for research
dissemination through on-line e-journals.
The national ICT policy should spell out how improving
ICT capacity for the education sector can address issues of
access and equity of education at all levels.
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ICT in research, teaching and
community engagement
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The role of ICT in teaching and learning is more
pronounced in institutions which have adopted Learning
management Systems (LMS).
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ICT in Administration
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ICT applications should support strategic decision-making
and policy implementation, stimulate and facilitate free
flow of information and to respond to demands of students
for better access to university services and information
through the web.
Consultations and accountability can be facilitated by
online discussion forums and mailing/sms lists, e-voting,
Use of Intranet will enhance the collegiality feeling.
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Conclusions and Recommendations
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The integration of ICT in education will cater for
increasing demand for higher education, for online
learning and lifelong learning.
ICT trend is towards mobile technology, virtual world,
social networking, cloud computing etc HEIs should
integrate these technologies into their programs and
strategies.
Establishment of strong Institutional collaboration in
virtual library, online databases, networking, use of ICT
experts should be seriously explored.
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Conclusions and Recommendations
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E-governance in HEIs will enhance good governance,
efficiency and transparency. How ever the accumulated
massive data will only be useful for decision and
forecasting when data warehousing and data mining
technologies are deployed in HEIs or across the higher
education sector.
ICT is a strategic resource for HEIs and as such ICT
governance should be prioritised and made part of the
Institutional governance.
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Conclusions and Recommendations
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Universities should pay particular attention to ICTbusiness alignment. Defining roles for CIO, Business
Owners and Service Manager(s) will help in this area.
Universities should deploy mobile applications to increase
the Institution’s robustness and accountability to people it
serves, as such improving governance.
The National ICT policy currently being reviewed, should
indicate how ICT can address issues of access, quality and
equity of education at all levels.
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The End
Thank you for your attention
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