Schools urged to adopt new e-management system

Feb 16, 2016

Last year, the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Sports signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Dotsaidia Systems Limited to promote administration operations

The Commissioner of Private Schools at the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Sports, Robinson Nsumba-Lyanzi, has called upon schools to take on the first internet based system for management of schools in Uganda.

"I call upon all school proprietors and administration to not only embrace information communication technology (ICT) in terms of teaching but also invest in it and adopt its use in all school operations," he said.

He made this appeal during the launch of ICT Adoption and Usage Campaign in Schools by Dotsaidia Systems Limited at Hotel Triangle along Buganda Road on Monday.

According to Nsumba-Lyanzi, the ministry considers this system as a timely solution for improving schools' management, efficiency and effectiveness.

Last year, the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Sports signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Dotsaidia Systems Limited to promote administration operations for better provision of quality education.

Speaking on the sidelines, the founder and CEO of Dotsaidia Systems Limited, John Vianney Sserwanga, said the new platform provides connectivity for all schools.

"We bring schools collectively as a community working together to educate our nation," Sserwanga said.

According to the IT Specialist of Dotsaidia Systems Limited, Geoffrey Kisaakye, the company runs dotShule, an e-management system that administers schools online.

He says, "This platform provides a user-friendly website that makes networking between students, teachers and parents easier. With this software, every school has an account where they can access the website, share emails and SMS messages."

The system supports Pre-primary, Primary, Secondary and College schools in Uganda. The multi user service provides accounts to teaching staff, students, non-teaching stuff and parents. It also lists schools in the national directory.

The system will be sustained by parents though an ICT fee. Once a school has digitalized its information and trained its staff members, it will have unlimited internet, bulk SMS and emails, a school website, a brand new laptop for every staff member and a school computer local area network.

Commenting on the implementation of the project in rural areas, the Commissioner said it is working closely with the Ministry of ICT.

"The ICT Ministry will provide computers or equipment to not only urban but also rural schools. Already, over 1000 government schools have been given computers and we hope with this new innovation, the government will be able to expand its network so that each school embraces ICT," he said.

Speaking at the same event, Tooro Kingdom Premier, Bernard Tungwaho commended the initiative and appealed to the government to always take on ideas from youths because they have the brains and acumen to work on such projects.

He noted that the new innovation should be used to reduce the education imbalance between urban and rural schools. "What we need to do is have one of the best teachers in a classroom pass on knowledge to students in the rest of the country. This will help a child in Kabale and Yumbe perform as well as a child in Kampala."

Pastor James Kayiira from Hope School Masanafu lauds the innovation saying it will create proper communication channels between schools proprietors, teachers and parents.

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