Establishing a university records management programme in South Africa : a case study of the University of the Free State

Abstract

As long as records are successfully managed, the management of records is essential to all organisations, including universities. Ad hoc records management makes it impossible to actively manage a business, to be held accountable for past transactions, or to make well-informed decisions about the future. An essential part of a records management program is, first and foremost, the management and preservation of records. Effective records management guarantees that documents can be found when needed. Evidence of business transactions in the form of records is one of the vital ways that institutions are held accountable for their deeds. Policies, procedures, and programs used in the state sector for managing records are key components in determining whether a state institution, government, or nation exhibits the qualities of transparency, accountability, and integrity. Sound records management could help universities achieve their goals, fulfill their mandate, protect themselves from legal action, preserve institutional memory, and foster a culture of accountability and good governance. Therefore, effective corporate governance aims to speed up accountability and even stop major catastrophes before they happen. Universities are also under pressure to proactively show that they are accountable and uphold good corporate governance practices. This can be done through appropriate legislation, such as information access laws, in the form of an audit or public scrutiny. Equally so, good record-keeping practices ascertain information and records are not unnecessary duplicated, which not only serve as a save-costing measure, but also maintaining the version control and accuracy. The UFS mostly rely on numerous data management systems (e.g., Image Now, Campus Solutions, PeopleSoft, UNIdrive, SharePoint, Blackboard, Shared Folder) to manage piles of information that is generated daily. The literature demonstrates that there is always a link between good governance and compliance with the law as good governance is intertwined with the law and is completely not apt to entirely unhinge government from the law. In all stages of records life-cycle management (e.g., the creation/ or capture/ use/ or store and preserve/ or destroy/ or delete) there are rules that should be followed, and the overall information governance of the institution should take the legal requirements into consideration.

Logama iirekhodi zilawulwa ngempumelelo, ulawulo lweerekhodi lubalulekile kuyo yonke imibutho, kubandakanywa neeyunivesiti. Ulawulo lweerekhodi ze-ad hoc lwenza ukuba kube nzima ukulawula ishishini ngokusebenzayo, ukuba noxanduva lwentengiselwano yangaphambili, okanye ukwenza izigqibo ezinolwazi malunga nekamva. Inxalenye ebalulekileyo yenkqubo yolawulo lweerekhodi, okokuqala, kulawulo nokugcinwa kweerekhodi. Ulawulo olusebenzayo lweerekhodi luqinisekisa ukuba amaxwebhu anokufunyanwa xa efuneka. Ubungqina bentengiselwano yoshishino ngohlobo lweerekhodi yenye yeendlela ezibalulekileyo amaziko anokuthi aphendule ngayo ngezenzo zawo. Imigaqo-nkqubo, iinkqubo, kunye neenkqubo ezisetyenziswa kwicandelo likarhulumente ekulawuleni iirekhodi ngamacandelo aphambili ekumiseleni ukuba ngaba iziko likarhulumente, urhulumente, okanye isizwe sibonisa iimpawu zokungafihli, uxanduva kunye nokuthembeka. Ulawulo lweerekhodi olufanelekileyo lunokunceda iidyunivesithi ukuba zifezekise iinjongo zazo, zizalisekise isigunyaziso sazo, zizikhusele kumanyathelo asemthethweni, zigcine inkumbulo yeziko, kwaye zikhuthaze inkcubeko yokuphendula kunye nolawulo olululo. Ke ngoko, ulawulo olusebenzayo lweshishini lujolise ekukhawuleziseni ukuphendula kwaye nokuyeka iintlekele ezinkulu ngaphambi kokuba zenzeke. Iiidyunivesiti zikwaphantsi koxinzelelo lokubonisa ukuba ziyaphendula kwaye zibambelele kulawulo olululo. Oku kunokwenziwa ngowiso-mthetho olufanelekileyo, olufana nemithetho yokufikelela kulwazi, ngendlela yophicotho-zincwadi okanye uphononongo loluntu. Ngokulinganayo, iindlela ezilungileyo zokugcina iirekhodi ziqinisekisa ulwazi kunye neerekhodi azikho ikopi engeyomfuneko, engasebenzi nje njengendlela yokulondoloza ixabiso, kodwa nokugcina ulawulo loguqulelo kunye nokuchaneka. I-UFS ixhomekeke kakhulu kwiinkqubo ezininzi zolawulo lwedatha (umzekelo, Umfanekiso ngoku, i-Campus Solutions, i-PeopleSoft, i-UNIdrive, i-SharePoint, i-Blackboard, iFolda ekwabelwana ngayo) ukulawula iimfumba zolwazi oluveliswa imihla ngemihla. Uncwadi lubonisa ukuba kusoloko kukho unxibelelwano phakathi kolawulo olululo kunye nokuthotyelwa komthetho njengoko ulawulo olululo luthungelana nomthetho kwaye alunakukwazi ngokupheleleyo ukumchasa ngokupheleleyo urhulumente emthethweni. Kuwo onke amanqanaba erekhodi yolawulo lomjikelo wobomi (umzekelo, ukudalwa/okanye ukuthatyathwa/ukusetyenziswa/okanye ukugcina nokugcina/okanye ukutshabalalisa/okanye ukucima) kukho imigaqo ekufuneka ilandelwe, kwaye lonke ulwazi lolawulo lweziko kufuneka luthathe iimfuno ezisemthethweni zithathelwe ingqalelo.