Tribhuvan University on the Path to Digitalization: Service Delivery and Administration Being Made Technology-Friendly
Tribhuvan University (TU) has introduced the concept of digitalizing all its services. At present, 561,170 students studying at TU are facing difficulties because some services are not available through electronic means. Even now, students have to stand in bank queues to receive services, and because all services are not online, they are compelled to visit the central office and the Office of the Controller of Examinations. Similarly, students and parents are being affected from time to time by software malfunctions and server downtime.
Although TU has repeatedly issued notices stating that various services can be obtained online, students complain that service seekers are still required to be physically present. The services said to be available online are as follows:
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Transcript
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Provisional certificate
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Temporary certificate
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Original certificate
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Migration certificate
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Registration and registration of students newly admitted to TU
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Facility for rechecking if there is any error in examination marks
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Grade sheet and marksheet
New Software and Budget Management
To fully implement the electronic service system, TU has moved ahead by arranging the budget from its internal resources. Under the information technology management heading, TU allocated Rs. 40 million in fiscal year 2081/082 and Rs. 20 million in fiscal year 2082/083. According to TU, two software systems—the “TU Examination Information System” and the “TU Integrated Financial Management Information System”—are currently being prepared for implementation.
The “TU Integrated Financial Management Information System,” which is expected to make financial transactions more economical and transparent, has nine modules. The details are as follows:
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Accounting Management Information System
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Salary Management Information System
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Budget Management Information System
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Income Management Information System
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Audit Management Information System
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Loan Management Information System
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Pension and Other Service Facilities Information System
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Inventory Management Information System
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Employee Management Information System
Once this system is implemented, it will be easier to obtain accurate information on how much money was received under which heading at which campus and how much was spent.
Preparations to Digitize Old Records
All records of students who studied at TU from B.S. 2016 to B.S. 2053 are limited to handwritten records or ledgers only. Only data from B.S. 2054 onward are available on computers. Since there is a high risk that records may disappear entirely if the hard copies of handwritten data before B.S. 2054 are lost, there has been demand to digitalize those data. TU has stated that it has planned to digitalize all examination ledgers and files.
Administrative Office Automation and E-Attendance
According to TU spokesperson Navindra Bhandari, the university has implemented “office automation” to digitalize academic and administrative activities. This has removed the obligation for TU’s 146 bodies to travel to Kathmandu solely for letter management. A letter sent by any campus can be tracked through the system, and the sender will be able to view from their own user ID which section the letter has reached and where it has been held up.
Spokesperson Bhandari said that the daily travel allowance cost of around Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 20,000 incurred earlier when visiting the central office to check the status of letters will now be saved, and there will also be no fear of letters being lost. The use of office automation will provide accurate information on how much work each employee has completed and how much remains, bringing transparency to employee performance evaluation. The Registrar’s Office will monitor this.
In addition, TU has also moved ahead with the electronic attendance system, or e-attendance. Arrangements have been made so that the e-attendance of 80 percent of constituent campuses can be monitored from the center, allowing all information on how many days an employee is on leave to be viewed from the center.
Similarly, Bhandari clarified that through the TU Examination Information System, arrangements will soon be made so that students can easily receive all services required from the Office of the Controller of Examinations indefinitely. For now, students can track their transcripts.
Challenges of a Digital University
Although TU has moved forward toward digitalization, it has its own challenges. According to a TU official, “A digital university is today’s necessity, but the lack of skilled technical human resources, the traditional working style of office-bearers and employees, their tendency not to change with time, and the lack of sufficient budget for software development and hardware procurement are the main challenges of a digital university.”
Tribhuvan University