CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1            Background of the Study

Information is the binding element that holds an organization together. It is an integral part of an organization that needs to be properly managed to achieve the goals and objectives of the organization.

Many scholars have recognized the fact that right information and it’s flow within the organization can drastically improve the performance and achieve stipulated objectives with ease.

Floridi (2010) defines information as “The resolution of uncertainty, it is that which answers the question of what an entity is and thus defines both it’s essence and nature and it’s characteristics”.

Also Zorkoczy (1981) defines information “As the meaning that a human express of facts and ideas, by means of the known convention of the related to both data and knowledge as both parameters and knowledge signifies understanding of a concept. On the other hand in organizational context stone cash (1981) defines information by stating that “information is simply symbols (data, text, image, voices, etc) that convey meaning shape context relative ordination is the raw material for making decision for creating knowledge and fuelling modern organization”.

Ishikawa (1986) defines information storage and retrieval as “the systematic process of collecting and cataloging data so they can be located and displayed on request”. This system of information storage and retrieval is also referred to as information management. Also Best (1988) defines information management as “The economic, efficient and effective co-coordinating of the production, control, storage and retrieval and dissemination of information from external and internal sources in order to improve the performance of the organization”.

The prime objectives of information management is to make relevant information readily available for the organization in precise and comprehensible format.

On school records, (UNESCO) define school record “As documented evidence of school activities which contain data and information about various aspects of a schools operation including data about it’s students, teachers, classes, facilities and finances”.

The information from the school records management system is used to support evidence based management of the school. It help school managers to systematically collect, store, retrieve, and analyze information about their school so they have relevant and reliable information readily to support decision they make in running the schools.

Army children’s school Badikko is a primary school situated within 44 Comilla Barracks, Nigeria Army Reference, Hospital Kaduna. It was established for the purpose of providing basic primary school education for the children of the staffs of Nigeria Army Reference Hospital, Kaduna. Recently, the school was incorporated into the L.G.E.A system in order to allow enrollment of children from civilian communities into the school, most especially from the Badikko area where the Barrack is situated. The school has twelve classroom blocks a library a staffroom six toilets and offices of the head teacher and assistant head teacher. With all these structures, the school is expected to keep records or information of it’s staffs, pupils, learning resources, and school facilities.

The school management is expected to have a system of storing retrieving and preserving information of it’s staffs, pupils of school facilities. For effective running of school activities. However it has been observed that the poor state of the school’s records management system is seriously affecting the storage, retrieval and preservation of all school records there by making the work of all staff quite difficult.

This necessitated the study on the appraisal of information storage and retrieval so as to investigate and determine the factors responsible for the poor state of records management in the school.

1.2            Statement of the Problem

The Nigerian Army Children’s School has been doing its best in managing all of its school records and other information material for the effective running of all it’s school activities. However several factors seen to tinder the school from managing a proper information storage and retrieval system.

These include:

i.                   Lack of proper and immediate information storage and retrieval system which makes it difficult to store and retrieve information resulting in convenience and waste of time.

ii.                 Error prone manual calculations which takes a lot of time and may result in incorrect information.

iii.              Difficult in preparing accurate and prompt reports due to lack of information collation (ability to put information together and analyze them).

Therefore the problem of this study is the need for empirical data on the school’s information storage and retrieval system in order to solve the problem facing the school’s records management system.

1.3            Research Questions

The study will attempt to provide answers to the following research question.

1.                 What type of information storage and retrieval system are available in Army Children School?

2.                 How does the school manages it’s records storage and retrieval system?

3.                 What are the factors affecting the schools records storage and retrieval system?

4.                 What are the strategies to improve the management of the schools records storage and retrieval system?

1.4            Objectives of the Study

The major objectives of this study was to appraise the problems of information storage and retrieval system in Army children’s school Badikko, Kaduna. Specifically, the study determined:

1.                 The type of information storage and retrieval system in Army Children School.

2.                 How the school manages its information storage and retrieval system.

3.                 Factors affecting the schools information storage and retrieval system

4.                 Strategies to improve the management of the schools information storage and retrieval system.

1.5            Significance of the Study

The study brings to light the role and importance of information management in Army Children School Badikko Kaduna. The study will be of importance to teachers, head teacher, Local Government Education Authority (L.G.E.A) Colleges of Education (C.E.O) and the Ministry of Education.

To the teachers, the study will provide them with the knowledge of how to manage school records so they can discharge their duties effectively.  To the Head teachers, the study will serve as an assessment of the school’s records management system by presenting the problems affecting the system and by providing solutions which will improve the system to enable the head teacher to effectively manage the school’s affairs. To the Local Government Educational Authority (L.G.E.A) the study will bring to its attention the problems the school faces regarding it’s school records management and retrieval system which will prompt the authority to come to the school’s aid in resolving it’s record management and retrieval system problems.

To the Colleges of Education, the study may serve as a guide book on school records management for its students who are studying to become future teachers in schools. The study will enlighten the students on the importance of school records management, how school records are stored and retrieved the challenges affecting school records management and retrieval and possible solutions on resolving the problems records storage and retrieval in schools. To the ministry of Education, the study will serve as useful information about the state of records storage and retrieval systems in schools and what can be done to improve the records storage and retrieval systems of schools for the effective management of school activities.

1.6     Scope of the Study

The research intends to appraise the records storage and retrieval system of Army Children’s School Badikko Kaduna. The study intends to focus on how the school manages it record storage and retrieval system, the problems faced in managing it’s records storage and retrieval system, and the possible solution on how to improve the system.

The findings of the study will be based primarily on data collected from selected teachers in all the six primarily school levels including the Head teachers and Assistant Head Teacher.

1.7     Operational Definition of Terms

The following terms are defined operationally:

Appraisal: A judgment or assessment of the quality, value or nature of something.

Information: Information is an entity or form that resolves uncertainty or provides the answers to a question of some kind.

Information Storage: Is the activity of securely keeping information resources for retrieval and use in the future.

Information Retrieval: Is the activity of obtaining information resources relevant to an information need from a collection of information resources.

Information Resources: These are data information used by an organization.

School Records: These are documented evidence of school activities which contain data and information about the various aspects of a school’s operations.

Primary School: Is a school for children from about five to eleven years old in which they receive primary or elementary education.

References

Best, D.P (1988), “The Future of Information Management” International Journal of Information Management, Vol. 8. No 1, March pp 13-24

Floridi, L. (2010), Information: A very short introduction, Oxford: Oxford University press.

Ishikawa, A (1986), Future computer and information systems. Columbia University press.

Stonecash, J.C (1981), The IRM showdown info system, Vol.28 No. 10, PP. 42-8

UNESCO (2011) school records management systems. Module A1 www.unesco.org/Education

Zorkoczy, P. (1981) Information Technology: An Introduction, Pitman, London, P.157.

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