INTRODUCTION
Records management is the systematic control of all records from their creation or receipt, through their process, distribution, organisation, storage, and retrieval, to their ultimate disposition. Records management is fundamentally supported by record keeping activities to ensure records are properly captured and retrievable in a reasonable response time. Records management has existed from ancient times in parallel with the proliferation of writing and recording technology. Records in whatever medium, the ancient clay tablets, vellum, papyrus, animal skin, paper, video, audio tape and film or today’s electronic records remained significantly important as evidence of business and administrative operations. Enormous production of electronic records triggers concerns among records management professionals that researching and establishing an appropriate approach for managing electronic records is imperative.
While, The Scope of Records Management where all states have records laws that establish the need for effective records management, provide for the authority to dispose of records, and establish a structure for records management in the state. The retention of these records are codified in records retention schedules, which are established by analysing statutory and administrative needs in combination with the content of the record, not the material on which it was created example hardcopy vs. electronic.
An ICT framework was adopted in 2003 with the main goal of promoting the development and effective utilisation of ICT. The vision of the framework is a Uganda where the overall national growth and development is sustainably enhanced, promoted and accelerated by the application and use of ICT. This is an umbrella framework covering a wide range of issues such as establishing conditions for the growth of digital societies and economies, e-administration and ICT-based services. The purpose of the framework was to provide focused direction on information management, of which records management should have been a part. Inevitably, the adoption of this framework was preparing Uganda for the introduction of e-governance. In pursuing the e-governance strategy, the GoU aimed at introducing new technologies to facilitate inter and intra-agency communication and cooperation, and consequently to support widespread use of electronic services. The overall goal is to promote the development and effective utilisation of ICT with access to a wide range of online services. However, the process of online services has led to the generation of digital records, hence this paper’s focus on the assessment of the contribution the ICT structure is making to the creation and management of digital records in the UPS and the challenges faced.
PROBLEM STATEMENT OF THE RESEARCH
The creation and use of digital records is still limited in the UPS and the majority of records remain in paper format, but their conditions of management are also extremely unsatisfactory and therefore UPS lacks a basic building block for the management of the digital records. Closed paper files are unwedded and exist in large quantities. The storage areas are congested with large quantities of GoU publications and printed material, including newspapers. The current archives repository is too small to accommodate the large volume of records that needs to be transferred from the Uganda Public Services (UPS) ministries. As a result, a reliable records management system does not exist in the Uganda Public Services (UPS).
Uganda Public Services also lacks guidelines to promote the management of the digital records held in the digital systems. This study established that the Records and Information Technology Department (RITD), which falls under the Ministry of Public Service but with statutory responsibility for public records across ministries, has not provided advice and leadership in relation to record-keeping best practices and the management of public archives.
OBJECTIVE THE RESEARCH
1. To determine that there are attempts to improve ICT capabilities and infrastructure in Uganda.
2. To study the implement policies and strategies for integrating science and technology.
3. To promote science and technology and coordinate guide national research and development.
METHODOLOGY
A review of the literature on ICT developments in Uganda and empirical studies dealing with management of digital records in the UPS is presented. The review of empirical research findings is based on 23 Government of Uganda (GoU) ministries. Applying both quantitative and qualitative approaches, a survey research design was adopted. Multiple methods of data analysis including coding, tabulation and use of descriptive statements were also used to ascertain the quality of the findings.
The Uganda Vision 2025, which provides the country’s long-term goals and aspirations, identified ICT as a vital component in the process of modernising the country. According to the vision, Uganda should have an ICT-driven economy by 2025 in order to foster rapid economic growth. This challenged the GoU to develop, among other things, a agenda to guide the implementation of ICT.
The study adopted a mixed method approach ad used qualitative and quantitative technique to examine how digital record are created and managed in the Uganda Public Services.
Quantitative method in this study enable specific measurement of some of the variable of DRM .The technique consisted of counting the frequency as a summaries in tables. The aim of this method was to analyse the DRM technologies in the UPS and to explore them by systematic measurement rather than seeking and interpreting meanings people attach to their own action.
The study also took into account the creators and managers of the records so as to establish their concerns regarding DRM. Persons involved in the creation and management of digital records organized the high level administrators like the Head of the Agency, Senior Manager, Middle Manager, ICT Manager and the Records Managers. In this study, Senior Manager refers to a Head of Department, Commissioner or Director for Ministries that have Directorates. The Middle Manager refers to a Principal Officer/Analyst. The ICT Manager means the Information Scientist/Information Technologist or Systems Analyst, or Network Administrator, System Administrator and Principal Systems Officer or Information Manager, according to the organisations of the ministry. In general, the ICT Manager refers to the one in charge of ICT services and the Records Manager is the one in charge of records management in the ministry.
DISCUSSION
The study revealed that there are attempts to improve ICT capabilities and infrastructure in Uganda but a critical gap exists in the approach since the management of public sector records is not being addressed as part of this initiative. There is no evidence of establishing an ICT infrastructure that will provide the solution to digital records management (DRM) problems. Other weaknesses relate to gaps and poor linkages in the overall Records and Information Technology Department (RITD) itself, as it fails to address the requirement for DRM.
ICT application for records management
The research show how ICT have been applied in records management such as records generation, tracking of file movements, record indexing and storage and inventory management
Table I shows the records created from the various Information Systems in UPS. These records exist in form of emails, portfolios of office work, digital images, and audio and video recordings. The data in the table shows that digital record formats vary depending on the ICT system used.
ICT SYSTE
M USING TYPES OF DIGITAL RECORDS
Offline application Word processed document, Spreadsheet, Intranets.
Online and web based environment Web sites, Financial system, Health system
Business information system Database. E-mail
Communication system Video and Audio
Table I