1 Priva te an d Con Team Presentations Finance & Infrastructure, and IT Track Team Dr. M. Abul-Hamayel Dr. Musa Essayyad Dr. Ma’an Kousa Mr. Shaibu Garba Dr. Ahmad Yamani Dr. Sadiq M. Sait
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Team PresentationsFinance & Infrastructure, and IT Track Team
Dr. M. Abul-HamayelDr. Musa EssayyadDr. Ma’an KousaMr. Shaibu GarbaDr. Ahmad Yamani
Dr. Sadiq M. Sait
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Categories Addressed by the Track Team
• Information Technology
• Cost/Finance
• Physical Facilities
FinanceIT
Physical Facilities
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Current Status
• Information Technology
• Cost/Finance
• Physical Facilities
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Current Status of IT (… 1)
• More attention to IT in curricula and less to infrastructure or automation of business processes
• Human resource problems (not able to retain)
• Easy to obtain funding or budget for equipment, difficult to allocate budget to HR (training, incentives, adjust salaries, ...)
• IT Planning is local and ad-hoc and there is a wide gap between IT infrastructure between universities.
• No assessment of ROI, or desire to get value from capital, etc
• IT for research needs improvement
• IT Procurement follows government regulations
• No separate budget for IT (only a cost center)
• Lack of IT awareness
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Current Status of IT (…2)
• Representation level of IT is low (therefore no opportunity for providing strategic input)
• All IT services are free
• Lack of coordination/cooperation between IT directors (no regular meetings similar to library deans, deans, ..)
• IT services scattered between various departments
• Access to IT is poor
• Lack of monitoring and standards, lack of regulation and accountability
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Current Status of Cost/Finance
• Funding is predominantly provided by government: Single Source of Revenue (sustainability? revenue from other sources account for small percentage of the total revenue of universities)
• Centralized budget/planning and sub-optimal allocation of resources– Line item budgets with some limited flexibility
– Within universities, there is a centralized management of financial resources with minimal or no provision for budgeting and expenditure at level of functional units of institutions
• Students pay no fees and are instead given stipends by the universities (in addition to several other facilities!)
• There is disparity in resource allocation to universities depending on ability to present needs
• Expenditure capturing and financial management and control systems vary across universities
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Current Status of Physical/Infrastructure
• There are not enough universities to meet demand for higher education and the available ones are not equitably distributed
• There is disparity in the availability and maintenance of physical facilities and infrastructure across universities
There is no planning framework for expansion in the number of universities and many existing universities find it difficult to expand their facilities and infrastructure (recently this situation has been improving)
Physical facilities and equipment in universities are sometimes underutilized and there is no framework for the shared use of facilities across universities
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The key issues identified in IT can be grouped into three categories
1. Using IT in the educational and research processes
2. IT in the administration of the institution and across the institutions
3. Management, administration and planning of IT services and capabilities
IT
for Administration
IT for Education
and Research
Management and Planning of IT
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System is inefficient and
ineffective
Management processes are
inefficient
Research is inefficient
Research requirements are
not met
Lack of strategic use of IT
Lack of IT representation in management/
organization (visibility)
Lack of monitoring/ standards
Lack of awareness
Lack of planning
Regulations are poor
Delivery is poor
Universities are not linked
Poor HR
Access is poor
Differential gender access
Lack of professional regulatory
organization
Lack of regulations
Teaching processes are
inefficient
Technical infrastructure is not available or is dated
Lack of outcomes focus
Lack of accountability
Lack of motivation
Job for lifePublic sector domination
Competition
Information Technology
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IT Issues and Strategic Questions
Issues
• Inefficiency of processes (teaching, research and admin) due to lack of strategic use of IT
• Lack of HR• Technology and
Infrastructure is not available or dated
• Lack of outcome focus (or impact of IT)
Strategic Questions
• Are we going to have interlinked universities or independent stand-alone universities (disconnected remote islands)?
• Is IT used strategically?
• Are we going to deploy technology for self-paced and distance learning?
• Is IT currently supporting the main functions of Higher Education
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Notes on IT
• IT services evaluation
• Gap in IT between institutions
• IT personnel retention
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Cost/Finance System is not meeting its
strategic goals
Suboptimal allocation of resources
Limited flexibility at the university level & lack of
autonomy
Government pays for Higher Education and defines how it
is to be spent
Government monopoly/ oligopolies
Lack of competition
Need for new universities because of high population growth
Insufficient funding
Lack of entrepreneurship
Sense of entitlement/
welfare society
Misalignment of Higher Education with societal and Job Market needs
Allocations are not driven by supply
and demand
Students don’t pay so no way of
valuing demand
Inability to track allocations towards
achieving strategic goals
Archaic system
Technology is not used strategically
Centralized and ineffective planning
Suboptimal outcomes
Inefficiencies in operation
Government financing may not be sustainable if there is a
disruptive alternative technology
Lack of alternative sources of funding
Lack of endowment investments/ charity
Government resistance
Rules and Regulations
Lack of awareness of alternative
sources of funding
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Finance Issues/Hypothesis and Strategic Questions
HE system wide Funding University level Management of Finances
•Centralized and unclear system of financial planning
•Sub-Optimal Allocation: Inadequate and inequitable funding for universities
•Sustainability: Effectiveness and sustainability of university financing (single source)
• Do existing financial regulations provide flexibility for the efficient use of resources?
• What must be the level of support provided to students? (who should pay?)
• Do existing financial systems provide for the monitoring of revenues and expenditure and the evaluation of outcomes?
• Are universities efficient and effective in the use of their resources?
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Notes on Cost/Finance
• Growing population
• Private universities for bridging the finance gap
• Alignment with strategic goals
• Entrepreneurship
• Learning from other experiences
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The Physical issues that the team identified can be grouped into three key categories
Facilities Availability
Location of Universities
Facilities Operation and Management
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Physical issuesFacilities at universities
do not facilitate the achievement of the strategic objectives
Inadequate management of
available facilities
Inadequate facilities
Inadequate maintenance of
available facilities
Lack of qualified Local
maintenance staff
Inadequate compensation of
foreign labor
High maintenance cost
Rapid Deterioration of
Facilities
Short facility life spans
Poor utilization of facilities and equipment
Lack of training in the use of facilities
Lack of adequate planning
Limitation of finance sources
Single source funding
Lack of any appreciable role for the private
sector
Inability to take care of people
with special needs
Inefficiency in procurement
Inequitable distribution of
financing
Inadequate staff in facility
management
Complex regulations in management
Lack of information about
facilities
Use of foreign labor
Inflexible procurement regulations
Rapid turnover of maintenance staff
Inability to provided facilities
as needed
Inadequate maintenance
planning
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Physical/Infrastructure Issues/Hypothesis
HE Physical Facilities Planning and Provision
University Level Availability, Use and Management of Physical Facilities
• Environment• Framework for the planning and
expansion of universities and university physical facilities (to meet future needs)
• Are facilities for students and faculty sufficient
• Facilities for research• Facilities for student activities
• Is the physical environment conducive to learning?
• Do universities have optimal facilities to support teaching and learning across all disciplines
• Do available facilities enable required levels of social interaction and extracurricular activities?
• Do available regulations support the efficient and effective use of facilities
• Must universities own all their physical facilities and infrastructure (shared services/facilities)
• Are University facilities well managed and maintained
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Notes on Physical/Infrastructure
• Equitable distribution of universities
• Maintenance
• Expansion planning framework
• Utilization of facilities
• Facilities should enable education, research, and social interaction
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IT Infrastructure for Education and Research
Research and Education: Situation
Problem Statement• The current IT infrastructure does not
support the research requirements of the Kingdom: it is not aligned with the research needs, and the available equipment is outdated.
Data Requirements
• What is the significance of IT services for research and education?
• What type of IT services lead to better research and education?
• What are the priorities?
• How do the local institutions compare to the international world-class institutions in terms of IT services for research and education?
• What additional services can IT provide beyond those to enhance the quality of research in the coming decades?
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IT for Business Processes
Business Processes: Situation
Problem Statement• The IT infrastructure is not utilized for
resource planning within universities and there is no coordination across universities
Data Requirements
• Should universities build or acquire IT solutions for its business processes?
• What general standards should be followed in IT services for business processes?
• What IT service should be nationwide?
• Is there a gap between universities in terms of IT? How much of it should it be bridged? How?
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IT Administration
IT Administration: Situation
Problem Statement• IT administration and planning is
mostly ad-hoc
Data Requirements
• What percentage of university budget is dedicated for IT?
• Should/how can ROI be assured?
• To what extent should IT be outsourced?
• Should univ. charge for IT services?
• Centralized/Distributed?
• Recycling period?
• What PIs should be used for IT?
• Is there a gap between universities?
• How to plan IT?
• HR stability impact?
• Governance problem?
• Representation level?
• Women participation
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What is the cost of operating a university
Revenue Sources Data Requirements
Problem Statement• What cost is involved in the operation
of a university in SA
• How much does it cost to operate universities in the HE system
• What are the various cost items in university operations
• What is the total cost of running the HE system
• How do cost of operation differ between public and private universities
• Should student support continue in its present form
• Is the existing cost of running universities efficient
• Can existing operational cost be sustained for the long term
• In what ways can efficiency be increased in the running of universities
• How does cost of operating universities in SA compare with other countries
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How is university finances managed
Revenue Sources Data Requirements
Problem Statement• How do SA universities manage their
finances
• What systems of financial control are in operation in the various universities
• How efficient and effective are current financial systems
• What are the major problems of the existing financial systems
• What policies and procedures would best serve the universities in the HE system of the future
• What values and functions should the financial system of the future aspire to
• What financial models are available for use in the HE system
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What is the cost of operating a university
Physical Facilities Data Requirements
Problem Statement• What physical facilities are required to
support the operation of universities
• What types of physical facilities are found in the various SA universities
• Are all universities provided with all the facilities required to operate a university
• Is there an equitable availability of facilities across universities
• What types of facilities should be available to all universities
• Should student housing be provided as part of university campuses
• Should faculty be residential in all universities
• What is the cost implication of providing ideal physical facilities to all universities
• What role should the private sector play in the provision of physical facilities
• How do physical facilities in SA HE compare with those of other countries
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How should university facilities be managed
Facilities Operation and Management Data Requirements
Problem Statement• How should university physical
facilities be operated and managed
• How are existing physical facilities operated in different universities
• What is the level of efficiency in the use of available physical facilities and equipment
• How are physical facilities management by the various universities
• How adequate is the maintenance of physical facilities across the HE system