29. effective school management system using ict in education

7/29/2019 29. Effective School Management System Using ICT in Education

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Effective School Management System using ICT in Education:Educational Resource Management -

On-line Management System of School Resource Centers in Malaysia

Lucia Quek Sai Gearn

Head of Educational Resource Management

Educational Technology Division

Ministry of Education

Malaysia

This paper describes the latest implementation (2009) of an on-line

monitoring system of the ten thousand school libraries in the country by

the Educational Resource Management Sector, Educational Technology

Division (ETD), Ministry of Education. This is a systematic approach taken

to monitor the progress, development and management of the School

Resource Centers (SRC). Beginning June 2009, a comprehensive online

management system called the index-Quality of SRCs also known as iQ-

PSS was deployed via the ETD intranet service line to speed up the

process of collecting, validating and analyzing the data. This online

management system of the SRC has made it possible for the Educational

Resource Management Sector to plan, coordinate, evaluate and improve

the development of the School Resource Centres in terms of physical

infrastructure, book collection, management system and training in line

with current technology as well as the information literacy and reading

programmes. This paper will also look into the issues and challenges of its

implementation. Recommendations for further enhancement of the system

will also be discussed in this paper.


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EFFECTIVE SCHOOL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM USING ICT IN EDUCATION:ONLINE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM OF SCHOOL RESOURCE CENTERS IN

MALAYSIA

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Malaysia () is a country in Southeast Asia that consists of thirteen

states and three Federal Territories, with a total landmass of 329,845 square kilometres

(127,354 sq. mi). The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the

federal government. The population stands at over 27 million inhabitants. The country is

separated into two regions, Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia-Sabah and

Sarawak by the South China Sea. Malaysia borders Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore

and Brunei. The country is located near the equator and experiences a tropical climate.

Malaysia's head of state is the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (a term that is similar to King), an

elected monarch, and the head of government is the Prime Minister. The government is

closely modeled after the Westminster parliamentary system.1

In line with the countrys information and communication technology (ICT) Master

Plan and Vision 2020 , which envisages its longer-term development, Malaysia is aware

that the transformation of its education system is fundamental to achieving its

objectives. The Ministry of Education (MOE), with the participation of non-governmentalagencies, is focusing on the development of new media for use as educational,

organisational and partnership-building tools, and as a means for bridging the countrys

digital divide and empowering learners. Due to its belief that ICT can revolutionise

education and learning, the MOE has integrated ICT into education on a fundamental

level, incorporating systems to facilitate management, information gathering, access,

and various forms of communication. 2

1http://en.wikipedia,org/wiki/Malaysia, accessed on 20/10/09

2The Regional Workshop on Integrating in Education in the SEAMEO Member Countries, Case Study Guidelines,

2-3 June 2009, Bangkok, Thailand.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southeast_Asiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_of_Malaysiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_of_Malaysiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuala_Lumpurhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putrajayahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peninsular_Malaysiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Seahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singaporehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruneihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_of_statehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yang_di-Pertuan_Agonghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_of_governmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Minister_of_Malaysiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_systemhttp://en.wikipedia%2Corg/wiki/Malaysiahttp://en.wikipedia%2Corg/wiki/Malaysiahttp://en.wikipedia%2Corg/wiki/Malaysiahttp://en.wikipedia%2Corg/wiki/Malaysiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Minister_of_Malaysiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_of_governmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yang_di-Pertuan_Agonghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_of_statehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruneihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singaporehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Seahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peninsular_Malaysiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putrajayahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuala_Lumpurhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_of_Malaysiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_of_Malaysiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southeast_Asia


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2.0 NATIONAL ICT STRATEGIC PLAN

The National IT Agenda (NITA) formulated in 1996 vision is to utilise ICT to

transform all of Malaysian society into an information society, then to a knowledge

society and finally to a values-based knowledge society. With the theme "Turning

Ripples into Tidal Waves", NITA focuses on the development of people, infostructure

and applications to create value, to provide equity and access to all Malaysians, and to

qualitatively transform our society into a values-based knowledge society by the year

2020. 3

The Malaysian economy has undergone structural changes from agriculture and

mining-based economy to manufacturing-based economy and is currently in the stage

of a knowledge-based economy. Current plans such as the Ninth Malaysia Plan and

Third Industrial Master Plan envisages that as Malaysia moves into the knowledge-

based economy, the service sector will play a dominant role in the wealth creation of the

nation. ICT has and is expected to play a key role in this wealth accumulation, both in

terms of a sector and enabler. For this reason, the National Strategic ICT Roadmap will

provide a framework to enhance the productivity of key sectors of the economy and

promote the development of new ICT-based and knowledge-intensive industries.4

3.0 ICT IN EDUCATION POLICY

The Ministry of Education, Malaysia has focused on three main areas in its ICT in

education policy:

ICT will be used as an enabler to reduce the digital divide between the countrys

schools by enabling ICT access for all students;

3 http://www.mscmalaysia.my/topic/12066955968788. Accessed on 22/10/09

4 Website:MOSTI Strategic ICT Roadmap for Malaysia: Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation;

https://mail.moe.edu.my/webmail/src/webmail.php., accessed on 22/11/09]
http://www.mscmalaysia.my/topic/12066955968788https://mail.moe.edu.my/webmail/src/webmail.phphttps://mail.moe.edu.my/webmail/src/webmail.phphttp://www.mscmalaysia.my/topic/12066955968788


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ICT will be used as teaching and learning tools in education, taught as an

independent subject and integrated into others; and

ICT will be used to enhance efficiency, effectiveness and productivity of

management in education.

To ensure the success of these areas, the Ministry of Education has implemented the

following strategies:

Preparing appropriate ICT equipment and infrastructure for all schools;

Introducing ICT curriculum and support for ICT integration into general teaching

and learning;

Upgrading the ICT skills and knowledge of both teachers and students;

Increasing ICT use in educational management; and

Upgrading ICT maintenance/management in educational institutions.5

The implementation of the Ministrys policy in ICT can be seen through several major

ICT in education projects:

The implementation of the Smart School project which was scheduled to go

through four waves, viz; the pilot project (1999-2002), the post-pilot (2002-2005),making all schools smart (2005-2010), and consolidation and stabilization (2010-

2020); the equipping of schools with Computer laboratories (to date 6633

schools) School Access Centres (3025 schools with 70% rural schools and

30% urban schools distribution); theTeaching of Mathematics and science in

English (provision of132,649 laptops, 78,333 LCD projectors, 67,439 screens,

63,254 mobile trolleys, and 9,662 printers), training of more than 200,000

teachers in basic ICT skills and using ICT in teaching and learning); introduction

of WebTV (via the internet, reaching almost 96% of the schools as well as

available outside school hours); the SchoolNet providing internet accessibility to

5Shamsuddin Hassan, Integrating ICT In Teaching And Learning: Country Report: Malaysia


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9654 locations; and transforming all the schools into smart schools by the

year 2010.6

4.0 SCHOOL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (SPS)

In January of this year (2009), the Ministry of Education embarked on a journey

to deploy a single School Management System for the eighty-eight Smart Schools in the

country. The system is known as Sistem Pengurusan Sekolah or SPS in abbreviation.

SPS based on open source technology fundamentally Java J2EE and MySQL, is aimed

to provide a single platform for the Smart Schools to manage school, student and

teacher data, in contrast to the current practice where the information is managed by

different stand alone software. With the integrated data, SPS is able to facilitate other

school operations such as time table scheduling, co-curriculum activities, student

academic management, school resource center and facility management, etc. SPS is

built as a real-time system where all information captured can be transmitted for other

intent instantaneously allowing schools to manage their operations in an effective and

efficient manner. In total, there are twenty two modules in SPS to assist the school. The

system is currently undergoing some customization work based on schools feedback to

ensure that it will be able to cater for the Smart Schools operating environment. All thecustomization work is anticipated to be completed by end of October 2009.

It is hoped that the SPS for the eighty-eight Smart Schools will be a starting point to

transform our education environment. Upon success, the SPS will be rolled out and

provide a platform to enable our schools to:

Integrate knowledge, skills and values for the Information age;

Unify the communities of students, parents and educators;

Empower the educational communities with self-service capabilities; and

Enable access to real-time information, relevant assessment tools and online

educational resources.

6Shamsuddin Hassan, Integrating ICT In Teaching And Learning: Country Report: Malaysia


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5.0 THE USE OF ICT IN SCHOOL RESOURCE CENTERS

The cornerstones of a good library facility design reflect a vision of how the school

library and school library media specialists contribute to the complex process of learning

and teaching in physical and virtual school library facilities. The new library spaces

exist virtually and physically where students may explore, wander and seek new

information and acquire information literacy, critical thinking and practical life-long skills.

The AASLs 21st Century Library Learning Standards describes skills students should

possess (AASL 2007). These include:

Using a variety of information literacies to gather meaning from information

presented in any format.

Demonstrating mastery of technology tools to be both productive and critical

thinkers

Collaborating with others to broaden and deepen understanding.

These standards encourage student academic and lifelong skill mastery that will enable

students to be productive in an increasingly global environment .

ICT is more than just another tool. It is also an enabler in facilitating learning and

accessing information. Its potential for increasing the range, relevance and accessibility

of information and communication used in schools is significant. Equally important is

its potential for supporting teacher librarians in their everyday roles and in their

continuing training and professional development. A wide range of ICT tools are now

available, e.g. computers, the Internet, CDRI and other software, television and radio,

video, cameras and other equipment, to aid the teacher librarians. Through the

advances made through technology, the walls of the classroom and the library have

expanded to include the entire world. One could say that we have a global internet

library.7

7Breivik. P. S., & Senn, J. A. (1998). Information literacy: Educating children for the 21st century. (2nd

ed.). Washington, DC: National Education Association.


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6.0 SCENARIO IN MALAYSIA: MALAYSIAN SCHOOL RESOURCE CENTERS

The School Resource Centre (SRC), which forms an integral part in any school

today, has come a long way. To raise the standard of library services in schools

throughout the country, efforts were taken to develop school libraries in Malaysia since

the early sixties. The early initiatives involved obtaining the services of a number of

visiting advisors who were attached to the Ministry of Education (MOE). In 1962, the

MOE established a one-year course for Teacher-Librarians at the Specialist Teachers

Training Institute. In the seventies, national attention was given to the school library

sector. A Blueprint for long term planning and development of school libraries was badly

need; hence, the publication of the Blueprint for School Library Development in

Malaysia in 1979. The Blueprint provided the basis for book stock provision, staffing,

organization and use.8

In preparing the Blueprint, the governments educational policy was kept

constantly in focus. This policy, originally expressed in the Razak Report of 1956 and

the Educational Act, 1961 was designed to satisfy the needs of the nation and promote

its cultural, social, economic and political development. Furthermore, it stated that any

attempt to assess current school library provision and future needs must be made in the

light of these educational objectives. Particular attention was paid to the general

development of school libraries especially in the smaller and more rural schools and to

the input of such libraries to academic and social progress. With the progressive

implementation of the recommendations in this Blueprint, it would be possible to

develop model school libraries centres of excellence able to show, through example,

the range of services, and the value of the inputs that can be made to quality education

by well-equipped, functionally efficient and adequately staffed school libraries.

8 Fatimah Jusoh. (2002). School libraries in Malaysia. Paper presented at IASL Conference 2002,

Petaling Jaya, 4 9 August.


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7.0 ORGANIZATIONAL AND MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES

The management of the SRCS require a range of activities dealing with the input

of new materials, such as ordering, processing, cataloguing, classifying; the provision of

services, such as loan recording, storing special temporary collections; promoting the

SRCs and reading habits; and the training of student librarians, to name a few. The

management of the SRCs is run by Teacher-Librarians, who are also full-pledged

subject teachers. Teacher librarians of SRCs in Malaysia now take care of all

educational technology resources, media, ICT, and lately access centers in the schools.

Not only does this cover books and teaching aids, but also multimedia resources and

equipment for teaching and learning, produce or organize library-based learning

activities such as treasure hunt/quizzes/information gathering from sources available in

the library, monthly subject exhibitions/demonstrations/read a book and share-book

reviews/visits to other resource centers/bigger libraries /universities

8.0 ONLINE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM OF SCHOOL RESOURCE CENTERS IN

MALAYSIA: THE iQ-PSS. (index Quality of School Resource Centers)

The Educational Technology Division (ETD) of the Ministry of Education is

responsible for the enculturation of the use of educational technology in the teaching

and learning process in schools. One of ETDs main functions is developing the School

Resource Centers (SRCs) throughout the nation. Developing and bridging the gap

between rural and urban 9,844 SRCs is a mean feat. Therefore, the ETD has to come

out with innovative ways in delivering quality educational services. With the assistance

of ICT advancement, the ETD proposed the use of management information system

(MIS) in giving effective and efficient services. This is also in line with the MOEs

implementation of making all schools smart.

The ETD and its network at state and district levels i.e. The State Educational

Technology Divisions (STEDs) and Teacher Activity Centers (TACs) coordinate and

encourage the use of educational technology in schools. In order to keep tab of the


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progress and development of SRCs, they need to be evaluated. Therefore, a

systematic and smart approach must be taken so that the data collected are current,

meaningful and can be used to give quality services to schools. A comprehensive

instrument which is based on five main areas was developed to identify Key

Performance Indicators of each SRC. They are infrastructure and facilities, the

organization and management of SRC, services, strategic planning and the national

reading programme (NILAM).

Beginning June 2009, a comprehensive online management system called the

iQ-PSS was deployed to speed up the process of collecting, validating and analyzing

the data. It also meant saving time and money. Based on the evaluation, the MOE is

also able to run programmes such as SRC Star-Ranking, SRC Assistance Programme

and SRC Excellent Awards to help and motivate the schools to continue developing the

SRCs for the benefits of the children.

The MOE in its government circular no. 10/2000 dated 20 April 2000 stressed

that all School Resource Centers in the country should be properly managed. This is in

line with the National Education Philosophy aimed at developing the individuals

potential and equipping the younger generation with the skills necessary to face

challenges of the 21st century.9

Over the years, various programs have been carried out to encourage all schools

to raise their efforts in upgrading their resource centers physically, equipped with

enough furniture and resource materials, management and supervision, as well as

using the SRC for teaching and learning processes.

Excellent SRC Awards

Excellent Reader Awards

Assistance to SRC program

Coordination meetings with ETD network (STEDs and TACs)

9Tahun Pusat Sumber Sekolah 2000. Surat Pekeliling Ikhtisas Bil. 10/200020 April 2000.


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Publishing of SRC guidebooks/manuals/handbooks

A systematic mechanism was designed to gauge the standard and status of SRC.

As a catalyst for SRC to achieve excellence status

As a form of recognition

As a filter to identify assistance for any SRC that need aid.

9.0 IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY

iQ-PSS or better known as Index Quality for School Resource Centers is

used as a standard measurement to gauge their performance.

iQ-PSS is used to interpret the qualitative criteria of the achievements of

SRC with the quantitative criteria so that the performance of each SRC

can be measured uniformly and analysed to identify the strengths and

weaknesses of the SRC in its planning and management of corrective

actions and continuous improvement from the point of management,

budget planning, supply of resource materials for the SRCs, physical

facilities including furniture, training, effective reading and information

literacy programs.

The iQ-PSS is based on the evaluation instrument which was formerly

administered manually by officers throughout the country. It covers the

following areas:

Section A Physical facilities, equipment and materialsA1. Location of main SRC, Audio-Visual Room & Teaching-

Learning Materials Room

A2. Arrangement of Room / Space / CornerA3. Furniture and AccesoriesA4. Additional FacilitiesA5. Printed materialsA6. Non-printed materialsA7. Electronic equipmentA8. Security Features


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Section B Management and Administration of SRCB1. Organizational ChartsB2. Annual PlanningB3. Management of SRCs financeB4. Management of SRCs Documentation and Records

B5. Management of Collections Documentation and RecordsB6. Management of Equipments Documentation and RecordsB7. Management of SR Physical AttractionsB8. Involvement of the school / community / NGOs

Section C SRC UsageC1. Opening hoursC2. TimetablesC3. CirculationC4. Usage Educational TV ProgramsC5. Exhibition Activities

C6. SRC Motivational ActivitiesC7. Self-Access Learning CenterC8. Promotions / PublicitiesC9. Information LiteracyC10. Production of Resources

Section D Reading Program (NILAM)D1. NILAM ProgramD2. InvolvementD3. Documentations dan RecordsD4. AchievementD5. Reward and Recognition

Section E Improvement ProgramsE1. Strategic PlanningE2. Other financial sourcesE3. Human Resource Development ProgramsE4. Evaluations

Section F Special FeaturesF1. Additional attractions / innovations not covered in previous

sections

Teacher Librarians go online and fill in all the information in the various

categories listed in the iQ-PSS at their own workplaces or schools, or they

can go to the nearest Teacher Activity Center )TAC) or State Educational


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Technology Division (SETD), to key in information about their SRCs and

their actiivities and programs carried out. It is mainly self-access.

Officers from the TACs and SETDs, then go on-site to verify the

information given by the Teacher Librarians.

SCOPE

iQ-PSS involves the following resource centers at state, district levels and all

schools in the country.:

Figure 1Organizational Chart of iQ-PSS Implementation

10.0 PROCESS

iQ-PSS involves the process of standardization of SRCs in Malaysia. This

process involves all teacher-librarians (TLs), officers from the TACs, STEDs and

ETD. The work process can be seen in Figure 2.

Educational Technology Division(ETD)

15 State Educational Technology Divisions(STEDs)

367 Teacher Activity Centers(TACs)

9,844 School Resource Centers

(SRCs)


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Figure 2iQ-PSS Work Flow

11. 0 METHOD

The method used in managing the iQ-PSS activities is as follows:

A fixed standard Index Quality PSS (iQ-PSS).

Survey using self-access.

Used yearly based on information available now and before the

new year.

Awarding of star-rating (1-star, 2-star, 3-star, 4-star, 5-star) to all

SRCs

Certification: Awarding of certificates to give recognition to SRCs,

TACs and SETDs resource centers based on the iQ-PSS.


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12.0 INPUT

Input that is needed:

Basic informaiton of the school and SRC (9,884 schools)

Basic information of TAC (367 TACs)

Basic information of SETD (15 SETDs)

Level of achievement ( iQ for all SRCs)

13.0 OUTPUT

Output from the iQ-PSS program is as follows:-

Level of iQ for all SRCs (KPI) Statistical Analysis of the iQ-PSS based on schools, TACs, SETDs

and ETD. This analysis can be used for the following purpose:

i). Choosing the best or excellent SRC in the country under the

SRC award scheme.

ii). Fixing the total per capita grant for all SRCs

iii). Fixing the total and kinds of resource collection to all schools

iv). Fixing the physical needs of all SRCs.

v). Planning staff development needs.

vi). Planning Information Literacy programs.

vii). Star Ranking of SRCs to gauge the performance of all SRCs.

14.0 STATUS REPORTS OF iQ-PSS

The online management system of SRCs can be found at the following website:

http://btp.tarantula.my/index.php.The following are some of the pdf files on the modules

in the iQ-PSS. They are : i) SRCs rating activity status, (ii) statistics of SRCs by

location, (iii) overall standard of SRCs, (iv) overall standard of SRCs according to

schools (primary/secondary/urban or rural), (v) top five SRCs according to states, (vi)

top five SRCs according to districts, vii) overall analysis of TLs competency,
http://btp.tarantula.my/index.phphttp://btp.tarantula.my/index.phphttp://btp.tarantula.my/index.php


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(viii) analysis of TLs competency according to states, (ix) analysis of statistics of

SRCs, (x) collection of books by SRCs (primary/secondary,urban or rural), (xii) status of

SRCs on book ratio (primary and secondary), (xiii) report of star-rating of SRCs

according to TACs and (xiv) information on teacher librarians.

Below are some reports on the above modules.

Table 1: Analysis of School Resource Centers (SRCs) statistics

No of respondents to date: 5132

*The data above would help ETD in overall planning and development of SRCs in the

future.

Table 2: Automated management of SRCs

Automated management of SRCs No of SRCs

Yes 5087

No 45

*The data above would help indicate which SRCs need help in the digital management

of their SRCs.

Physical status of SRCs No. of SRCs

Own building 373

Renovated building 387

Designated room 2064

Renovated room 1844

Not stated 464


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Penemuan/Analisis

Figure 3: Analysis of School Resource Centers (SRCs) statistics

Other data available:

Statistics of book collection, resource materials, digital materials, usage of SRCs, no of

computer laboratories and access centers and per capita grant of SRCs.

Penemuan/Analisis


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Figure 4: Rating of Activity status of SRCs

Table 3 : Overall Star - rating of SRCs on the following:

Section A: Physical facilities, materials and resources (10%)

Section B: Management and supervision of SRCs (15%)Section C: Usage of SRCs (40%)Section D: NiLAM Reading Program (20%)Section E: SRCs Improvement programs (10%)Section F: Special Features (5%)

Rating of SRCs according to stars Overall statistics of

SRCs

5 star * 137

4 star * 506

3 star * 767

2 star * 1300

1 star * 1209

Total 3919

*Note that total figure of 3919 respondents indicate that not all TLs filled

in all the information required to fulfill the requirements of the full starrating system. The above data would help ETD identify which SRCs need

assistance and which SRCs could be used as model SRCs.


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Penemuan/Analisis

Figure 5 : Overall Star - rating of SRCs

Figure 6: Analysis of Teacher Librarians (TLs) Competency

The figure shows the following:

i) Analysis of courses attended by TLs

ii) Analysis of TLs teaching experience

iii) Analysis of TLs Job Grades

iv) Analysis of teaching periods of TLs

v) Analysis of TLs appointment


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Penemuan/Analisis

*The above data would help ETD identify the staff development programs needed by

the TLs and their status and job needs.

Figure 7: Location of SRCs in each state (SETD)

Penemuan/Analisis

*The data include information on number of TACs in each state, number of schools

(primary, secondary, urban or rural) in each state.


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15.0 ISSUES / CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS

15.1 ISSUES/CHALLENGES:

1. Understanding how to use the iQ-PSS and the goal of iQ-PSS in order to work

toward it and the importance of iQ-PSS in assisting the decision-making process.

Therefore, proper training must be provided so that coordination in terms of work

processes must be synchronized to assess and monitor performance at all levels

of the organization. However, the training is hampered due to limited budget and

time constraints.

SOLUTION: To overcome this problem, the ETD has come up with an online

manual/handbook to assist these officers. All state unit heads have also been

given a briefing on how to use the iQ-PSS.

2. Verification process is nor done by the TAC officers concerned to check

validity of data put in by Teacher Librarians. This affects the accuracy of the

information sent to the ETD. Time has to be taken to check the information,

otherwise the wrong information and data collected will affect the decision-making process.

SOLUTION: Reminders via email and on-site checking by officers from ETD or

SETD.

3. Collection of SRCs information online within a certain period for reporting. This

affects the timeliness of the reporting and analysis. Since the inception of the iQ-

PSS in July 2009, to date, only 43.82% of the teacher-librarians have completed

all stages of iQ-PSS as shown in the table below.


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iQ-PSS Status (until 7.11.2009)

Level Item Total Percentage %

1 Waiting for TLs action 3254 33.06

2 Updating of school profile 370 3.76

3 Ranking of SRC by TLs 899 9.14

4 Waiting for TACs officers action 963 9.77

5 Verification of SRCs by TACs officers 44 0.45

6 iQ-PSS completed 4313 43.82

Figure 8: Status of iQ-PSS

SOLUTION: Reminders via email and on-site checking by ETD and SETD officers.

4. Inability to change data once locked in by Teacher librarians. Only appointed

officers with passwords can access the data and make changes.

SOLUTION: A comprehensive internal and external audit program is employed

to ensure the adequacy of internal controls.

5. Honesty on the part of the TLs and exact data put in by TLs. TLs know that

based on the data keyed in, SRCs are picked as winners of the SRCs awards

and role models and will be selected, the possibility of data being inflatedmay

happen.

SOLUTION: Briefings and explanations to the TLs and officers at the various

TACs, on the importance of real and true data received, as the data will affect

the planning and development of future SRCs. Verification by the officers are of

utmost importance.


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6. Disruption of the internet line and schoolnet problems in schools or TACs

where keying in of data is taking place.

SOLUTION: Getting the TLs concerned together to key-in the data of their SRCs

centrally where the internet line is good.

7. Time constraints of both TLs to key in data and officers from TACs and SETDs

to verify the data.

SOLUTION: Making sure the website stays open 24 hours a day, seven days a

week so TLs can access from home and after school hours.

16.0 IMPACT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF IQ-PSS FOR SCHOOLS:

iQ-PSS can be used to transform real data that is collected into information

useful for decision making. It can provide performance reports to assist in the

planning, monitoring and implementation of strategy e.g. star rating of SRCs,

book collection etc.

iQ-PSS provides a valuable function in that it can collate into coherent reports

unmanageable volumes of data that would otherwise be useless to decision

makers. By studying these reports decision-makers and policy makers can

identify patterns and trends that would have remained unseen if the raw data was

consulted manually e.g. competency of TLs, rating of SRCs.

iQ-PSS allows for the collation of vast amounts of SRCs data, and it also

provides a valuable time saving benefit to the workforce of ETD and its network.

Where in the past business information had to be manually processed for filing

and analysis it can now be entered quickly and easily onto a computer by a data

processor, allowing for faster decision making and quicker reflexes for the ETD

as a whole.
http://www.bestpricecomputers.co.uk/glossary/data-recovery.htmhttp://www.bestpricecomputers.co.uk/glossary/data-recovery.htmhttp://www.bestpricecomputers.co.uk/glossary/data-recovery.htm


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While iQ-PSS is extremely useful in generating statistical reports and data

analysis, it can also be used as a Management by Objectives (MBO) tool.

Objectives are set using the SMART ratio: that is, objectives should be Specific,

Measurable, Agreed, Realistic and Time-Specific. The aim of these objectives is

to provide a set of key performance indicators by which the ETD can judge the

performance of a project, program or activity. iQ-PSS is useful to track SRCs

performance. Since all SMART objectives are by definition measurable they can

be tracked through the generation of management reports to be analyzed by

decision-makers and policy makers.

17.0 RECOMMENDATIONS

It is recommended that the online management system of School Resource centers be

further enhanced. Steps are taken to make it more user friendly and accessible at all

times. Further modules can be added in to make the management of SRCs more

transparent and more informative. More officers from TACs and SETDs are involved in

creating the modules that they need to use in monitoring and managing the SRCs plus

evaluating them. Teacher librarians and school administrators should also be more

flexible and open to such methods of reporting and evaluation.

18.0 CONCLUSION

Using iQ-PSS as a tool for a well-informed decision-making process is only a

beginning. The ETD will always find ways to improve on the delivery services system

especially in the development and management of SRCs. SRCs are the catalysts to

accelerate the literacy growth among the students via the use of its educational

resources. Therefore, an integrated approach for assessing the performance of all

SRCs is needed to suppport the teaching and learning process. It is hoped that with a

better understanding of the goal of iQ-PSS by all quarters, the SRCs will be the hub of

life-long learning.


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To function effectively as an interacting, interrelated, and interdependent

feedback tool for the ETD management and staff, iQ-PSS must be "usable." The

five elements of a usable system are: timeliness, accuracy, consistency,

completeness, and relevance. It is worth noting that the usefulness of iQ-PSS ishindered whenever one or more of these elements is compromised. The iQ-PSS

has transformed the management of Malaysian School Resource Centers

towards a higher standard and we hope this will propel our SRCs to become

excellent centers of learning and raise information literacy among teachers and

students in the future.


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