SECONDARY SCHOOL MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
IMPLEMENTATION USING ONLINE DATABASE DRIVEN
APPLICATION IN KENYA
BY
GROUP TWO
KIRINYAGA UNIVERSITY
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION RESEARCH 2022
GROUP TWO
1.
KENNEDY OTIENO
PA106/G/7934/19
2.
BENJAMIN OKUMU
PA106/G/7936/19
3.
KORIR KEVIN
4.
SIMON KUBWA
PA106/G/7927/19
5.
FRANCIS MUTHONI
PA106/G/7859/19
6.
WILFRED KIPROTICH
PA106/G/7928/19
7.
EMMANUEL PAUL
PA106/G/7922/19
8.
DENIS ODUOR
9.
EDWARD MWANGI
PA106/G/7886/19
10.
BENJAMIN OMUSULA
PA106/G/7926/19
A project proposal submitted to Kirinyaga University in science, technology and
innovation research fulfillment of the requirement for the advancement of
research at Kirinyaga University.
Declaration
We, the undersigned, declare that this is our original work and has not been
submitted to any other college, institution or university other than Kirinyaga
University.
Signed: _____________________________Date___________________________
Abstract
Secondary school management can be a difficult task as most of these schools are
running singled user desktop applications which are expected to do all the
management operations including Student management, Staff management, Exams
Analysis and Processing among other tasks while being operated by a single user.
Implementing these systems using the online database driven applications can
reduce the workload entitled to one person by extending some of the authorities
and tasks to other members of the staff. This approach also has advantage reducing
the errors made by people due to fatigue.
This article presents an approach to easily and remotely access all the services and
data needed in daily school operations by the administration and staff using remote
internet accessible devices like smartphones and laptops.
The research is geared towards developing web based applications which can fetch
data from the databases which resides in the remote servers using modern web
technologies such as JavaScript, Python and MySQL databases.
The proposed system deploys the use of online forms to allow users to i.e. the
administration to capture all data of the students and staff and save to an online
database, query the database for any data remotely using the smartphone and
laptops, allow teachers key in student exams marks from their smartphones and
laptops remotely and the system automatically does all the exam analysis once all
marks for the student have been keyed and returns the result and the system allows
the administration to automatically do all communication to the parents i.e. mailing
to the parents their student transcript automatically among other functionalities.
All the stages and modules of the system will be thoroughly tested to minimize
errors and also ensure the system functions effectively and efficiently hence give
the best results.
CHAPTER ONE
Introduction
School management is geared towards running the school along the desired
educational policies. It takes into account all aspects of the school which is equal
and not limited to policies, material, human resources, programs, activities,
equipment and integrates them into one complete fruitful system.
These management activities can done manually by using singled user desktop
software systems or using distributed software systems and database driven cloud
based applications.
Schools using desktop singled user desktop software systems are faced which
challenges such as time wastage, data loss, in efficiency, inaccuracy among other
challenges.
Distributed software system or a cloud based system can help reduce the errors,
data loss inaccuracy and improve the efficiency of the whole process.
1.2 Background of the problem
Schools must have access to complete, accurate, and timely information about
students in order to support student progress and success. One of the advantages of
automating school system processes is that it simplifies the retrieval of essential
information in the student record system and is an excellent tool for
communication. Despite the use of automated processes of retrieving data and data
entry in various systems most schools have not adopted the use such advanced
techniques. Using analog techniques or manually entering data into the system and
manually retrieving data from the system is a difficult and time-wasting process.
It is a good idea to automate school system processes and simplify various
activities that are required from the system hence reducing manpower than is
required for successful school processes and activities. In order to control and
monitor student records effectively and efficiently developing intelligent system
that automate tasks and reduce human activities hence helping in the flow of the
institution is necessary.
Retrieving student records manually is a difficult task and with distributed or cloud
based system teachers are able to have more time doing other activities compared
to when there is no system that automate process such data retrieval and data entry.
Due to inefficiency of the current system that is manually operated, the need arose
for a modern decentralized system that automates activities and simplifies
activities for the school. By developing and deploying an automated system for
school we can handle various student data and activities and retrieve them
automatically as efficiently as required by the school. This is by keeping student
records, performance, details for both students and teachers, developing of report
cards hence satisfying all the users of the system.
1.3 General Objectives
To explain how the school management system can make work easier by
implementing the online way of working with the system through online database
driven application to implement the school operations.
1.4 Specific Objectives
11.To explain how students details can be fed into the system by operating
remotely I.e. using smartphones without necessarily visiting school
desktop system or application.
12.To determine how the school or staff can easily and remotely access all
the services and data needed in the daily school operations using remote
access.
13.To explain how the students data can be analyzed in an automated
manner e.g. students grades and ranking of students best on their
performance as in the grades.
14.To automate how the parents can access students’ information or
progress remotely without visiting the school.
15.To determine online way of capturing data by providing online forms
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
In recent years the number of students being enrolled into secondary schools has
been gradually increasing. The increase in student numbers calls for higher
vigilance and effort in management. In this paper the need for a secondary
management system will be explored through analysis that are based on why it is
hard for secondary schools to be managed by the single user systems management
systems. This chapter examines the current status of existing secondary school
management systems and covers the techniques that are currently employed in
developing secondary school management system. The benefits that come with
having an online database driven system is has been discussed in the paper.
2.2.1 Managing complete student information.
Student data is confidential for each school and should be protected with utmost
care. This proposal will aim to streamline the process of managing student data
through provision of a proper storage and organization of student related data in a
secure and decentralized manner so that one can easily access, edit or update data if
needed. A school management database deals with all information related to
student’s attendance, academic reports, curriculum details, project details, exam
management, grades, achievements, medical history, address, accounts, and many
more things. It also helps faculties to reach all the student data easily and effectively.
2.2.2 Streamlined coordination and communication.
The online school management system helps for better coordinating and
remembering all the events and activities that are going to be held in the school in
the upcoming days or weeks. It provides a proper look at the data on a single screen
and helps to highlight and remember the important information. This helps
institution in better productivity and growth. It also allows institutions to circulate
easier communication between students, faculties, faculties-parents, studentfaculties and even allows for the school alumni to stay connected with each other
and instead of relying on the diary system, a school database management system
can send instant updates to the faculties to school events, attendance, even
disciplinary issues over email or SMS. Students can also communicate with each
other and with their teachers over on the discussion board to clear their doubts and
collaborate over assignments.
2.2.3 Efficient admission management.
The system will also take care of admission process. The complete management
system accesses the registration process, admission approval, document uploading,
test and interview schedules, and much more. The way of managing academic
process is changing, people are attracted to an effective admission system that can
provide ease to faculties, students and parents. It also helps students and faculty to
fill the application conveniently reducing long queues to get an application from or
to get their admission-related queries answered easily.
2.2.4 Reduces paperwork.
The system will manage students’ data automatically, reducing the paperwork and
providing effective digital track of student data. All the documentations like the
admission forms, student records, financial aid, paperwork and all other data can be
managed effectively. It also provides proper security of all the records managing and
securing the data for future reference to access whenever need arises which is quite
complex with paperwork. It stores each data properly providing real-time tracking
of all the documents with just a few clicks.
2.2.5 Trustworthy and secure.
The system is the most secure and reliable source, it provides a hundred times more
security than manually stored information. It helps in storing all the information
using a cloud-based server. It also provides multiple automatic backups of essential
data to make sure valuable date cannot get lost. Most importantly, it prevents
software from getting hacked by any competitor or other cyber suspect.
2.2.6 Proper and efficient attendance management.
The system will also include tools to maintain quick records of student’s attendance.
The software provides student attendance management feature that require students
to check and scan their fingerprints and enter or leave the classroom and school
premises. It also takes care of the students’ attendance, which includes half-days,
late coming etc., without any kind of manual intervention. It also reduces workloads
from the monotonous task of taking attendance of each student by calling his\her
name and allowing faculties to directly check the summary of the presence and
absence of the students digitally. The most interesting part is this software allows
administration to keep track of faculty’s attendance along with providing them with
a quick-calculations of their leaves and adjustments.
2.2.7 Transport management.
The system will also provide easy access to the transportation system of the institute.
It manages the complete transportation requirements right from tracking the vehicle
to managing and monitoring the salary, working hours and other tasks for drivers
and other helpers in the vehicles. Most importantly it will provide easy access to
parents and faculties to track their kids using the mobile application keeping them
updated about the kid.
2.2.8 Timetable management.
The system will also provide better school and class management. Timetable
creation is considered the most critical thing that involves a lot of time and it’s
equally difficult to circulate time table among the students as a minor error by a
student or faculty can create a lot of confusion and even in some cases can spoil
student’s future if not downs wrong timetable. Through provision of timetable
management features classes will be scheduled properly so that the requirements of
different education boards can be met. The changes can also be made to a timetable
as per the convenience along with providing the timetable access anytime, anywhere.
2.3 CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the student and employee data help organize school-related tasks and
activities. For that, organizing data with high security is necessary. The traditional
way of managing such a large database includes either using paper or manually
adding each entry in spreadsheets. In each case there’s high chance of human error
and the data getting damaged due to physical factors. With the growing of
digitization, having automated solution for data management is extremely important.
It not only helps you manage data without human interference but also connect with
other modules of the school management software to allow better organization of
different tasks and functions of your school.
CHAPTER 3
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND DESIGN
3.1
Introduction
This chapter discusses the research methodology used to come up with a system
that can be able to help secondary schools’ managements implement a system that
helps address the tedious amounts of work involved in manual handling and
management of secondary schools in Kenya.
The chapter gives all details of the methodology of the study. The research was
discussed under the following subtopics.
 Research design
 Research instruments
 Data collection procedures
 Data analysis procedures and data analysis techniques.
3.2 Research Design.
The research used the qualitative approach. From comparison between the data
collected and the observations made from various secondary schools from time to
time, this approach helped us come to a conclusion that automating the
management of secondary schools would be much more efficient than the usual
manual. The variables used were such as the safety of manually kept records and
documents, the time factor in student registration and access of data for the
teachers and other members of staff, difficulties in capturing of relevant data
within schools and difficulties in student activity progress tracking.
The qualitative approach came with some advantages. This approach permitted one
to use small sample sizes than other methodologies thus easing the analysis
process. A lot of time was also saved with this approach. Also the qualitative
approach incorporates the human experience which made it most suitable for this
research. Statistics can be used to identify trends but the human experience cannot
be ignored. The system is being designed to being used by humans and so they
must be part and parcel of the study. Every perspective becomes important which
leads to more accuracy.
3.3 Research instruments
The Research instruments which were used in this study to collect data were
questionnaires.
3.3.1 Questionnaires
There were four sets of questionnaires. Students’ questionnaires, teachers’
questionnaires, staff’ questionnaires and principals’ questionnaires. Questionnaires
were used because they are the most commonly used in data collection. Its biggest
advantage is that they could be readily initiated when the respondents were
available and willing to cooperate. Almost everyone in the schools’ setup could
read and write and so the approach experienced no problems.
3.3.1.1 Students’ Questionnaires
The questionnaire was meant for students. It tested on the students’ views on the
current manual approach of school management and their experiences while
utilizing it. It also tested on their views about an automated system and how they
thought it would benefit their studies.
3.3.1.2 Teachers’ Questionnaires
The questionnaire similarly tested on teachers’ view and experiences concerning
the current manual system, also how they would think of an automated system and
how they would expect it to benefit and ease their tasks.
3.3.1.3 Staff Questionnaire
This questionnaire was meant for any other relevant members of staff that would
be affected by a migration from manual to an automated. They included
secretaries, bursars, the legal departments, dormitories managers, the finance
departments and members of the board of directors. Similarly, it tested on their
views on the current manual systems and how they thought they would benefit if
an automated one was introduced.
3.3.1.4 Principals’ Questionnaires
Principals are the overall managers and overseers of the schools’ management and
activities and so their views were very key to the study. It tested on how they felt
about the current manual system. The questionnaires also tested on their views
about an automated system and how they thought concerning the same.
3.4 Validity of the Instrument
The content validity of the instrument was determined through expert review.
Validity is the extent to which the sample of the test represents the content that the
test is designed to measure. The researcher used subject matter specialists like
university lecturers and supervisors to evaluate the validity of the test items.
Relevant experts also made suggestions on the effectiveness of the questionnaires.
This was done by checking whether the questionnaires were related to the research
questions.
3.5 Data Collection Procedures
The process consists of the:
3.5.1 Determining which information we want to collect
This was the fast step through which we chose which details we wanted to collect
by choosing the type of topic that we needed to cover, who we needed to collect
the data from and identifying how much data we needed.
3.5.2 Setting up a timeframe for Data Collection
We started by formulating a plan on how we’ll collect our data through which in
our early stages of our planning phase we established a timeframe for our data
collection
3.5.3 Determining the Method of Data Collection
In this step we chose the data collection method that will make up the core of your
data-gathering strategy, and in order to select the right method of data collection
we needed to consider the type of information we needed the timeframe over
which we’ll obtain the data.
3.5.4 Collect the Data
Once we finalized our plan, we implemented our data strategy and started
collecting the data and storing it by sticking to our plan and checking on its
progress regularly.
3.5.5 Analyzing the Data and implementing our findings
Once we collected all of our data, it was time to analyze it and organize our
finding. The analysis phase is crucial as it turns raw data into valuable insights that
would enhance our projects purpose and goals
3.6 Data Analysis Procedures and Techniques
3.6.1 What is Data Analysis?
It is the process of cleaning, changing and processing raw data for extracting
actionable, relevant information that helps businesses make informed decisions.
This procedure helped to reduce the risks inherent in decision-making by providing
useful insights and statistics which would in turn often presented in charts, tables
and graphs.
3.6.2 Why data analysis
3.6.2.1 It helped to reduce the operational cost
It helped to show which areas of our system development and implementation
needed more resources in terms of focus, time and the required personnel. It also
gave us a clear green light in scaling back or eliminating outright the resources that
were unnecessary or those that had no great impact in our project.
3.6.2.2
Better Problem-Solving Methods
This process of data analysis aided a lot in making the right choices and helped a
lot in avoiding costly pitfalls which would have led to either a delay in the
implementation phase or failure of the project and hence the data which was
collected provided informed decisions which led to successful decision making.
3.6.2.3
You get more accurate Data
Data analysis process helped in acquiring relevant and accurate information
suitable for our system development which helped in realigning the projects goals,
vision and mission.
3.6.3 Data Analysis Procedure
The data analysis process involved gathering all the information, processing it,
exploring the data and using it to find patterns and other insights that were crucial
in our project.
The process consists of:
3.6.3.1 Data Requirements Gathering
This involved us asking ourselves why we’re doing analysis and what type of
analysis we want to use and what data are we planning on analyzing
3.6.3.2
Data Collection
This step was guided by the requirements we’ve identified which involved
collecting our data and organizing our data for analysis from various sources such
as:
 Performing various case studies in various schools
 Conducting surveys, interviews, questionnaires, direct observations and
focus groups
3.6.3.3
Data Cleaning
Not all the data we’ve collected was useful and hence it needed to be cleaned up.
This process involved removal of whitespaces, duplicate records and basic errors.
This step was essential and mandatory before sending the information for analysis
3.6.3.4
Data Analysis
In this step we used data analysis software’s and other too that would help us to
interpret and understand the data in order to arrive into a conclusion. Those tools
included Python, R, Excel, Microsoft PowerBi and etc.
3.6.3.5 Data interpretation
Now that we had the results we needed to interpret them and come up with the best
course of action based on our findings
We employed the use of charts, graphs or a host of other methods in trying to
derive valuable insights that would help to compare the performance of our
datasets on the system and observe the relationships.
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