Assessment of the management of student affairs records. Case of the University of Mpumalanga in South Africa
| Date | 30 September 2019 |
| Pages | 23-42 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/RMJ-01-2019-0004 |
| Published date | 30 September 2019 |
| Author | Nkholedzeni Sidney Netshakhuma |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management |
Assessment of the management of
student affairs records
Case of the University of Mpumalanga in
South Africa
Nkholedzeni Sidney Netshakhuma
Department of Records and Archives Management, University of Mpumalanga,
Mbombela, South Africa
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to assess records management components, such as record
scheduled,records appraisal, destroyed/disposed, retained,training of staff on the management of the student
affairs records (SARs), provided access, the challenges associated with efficient management of SARs and
strategies for effective managementof SARs, to determine the extent the Student Affairs Department (SAD)
complieswith the University of Mpumalanga (UMP) records management policy.
Design/methodology/approach –This paper uses qualitative methodologyof a triangulation of data
collectionand this included interviews, document analysis and observation.
Findings –The literature review, as well as the interview, revealed that findings on the UMP records
management policy are multi-layered. A number of participants mentioned lack of records centre, records
retention and appraisal of records, records management training andmanaging access to information as a
challengeto the management of SARs.
Research limitations/implications –The research was only limited to the UMP, Student Affairs
Division, witha population of 15 staff members even though the findingscan be applied to all the universities
in South Africa.
Practical implications –SAD has a unique contributionto make to ensure that records created within
their division are managed in terms of theUMP records management policy by ensuring that components
such as records storage retention and appraisal of records management training and managing access to
informationare adhered to.
Social implications –Failure to complywith the UMP records management policy by the Student Affairs
Division will contribute to the loss of institutional memories, non-compliance with legislations such as
Promotion of Accessto Information Act 2000, National Archives and Records ServicesAct 46 of 1996 and the
Protectionof Personal Information Act No 4. Of 2013.
Originality/value –The research appears to be the first of its kind, to the best of the authors’knowledge,
to assess SARsat the UMP, South Africa.
Keywords Archives, Records management policy, Records storage, Retention schedule,
Students affairs records, University of Mpumalanga
Paper type Research paper
Introduction and the historical background of the University of Mpumalanga
The non-availability of a university in Mpumalanga led to the establishment of a new
university. Satellite universities, such as the University of South Africa, Tshwane
University of Pretoria,were the only ones offering post-matric qualifications.
In 1991, the University Education Committee was tasked to identify an area for the
establishment of the new university. The Lowveld College of Agriculture (LCA), an
agricultural college established in 1990, was seen as the most appropriate location
Assessment of
the
management
23
Received31 January 2019
Revised31 January 2019
23March 2019
7June2019
11July 2019
Accepted18 July 2019
RecordsManagement Journal
Vol.30 No. 1, 2020
pp. 23-42
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0956-5698
DOI 10.1108/RMJ-01-2019-0004
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/0956-5698.htm
(UMP, 2013). The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) appointed a
ministerial task team to investigate into the feasibility of establishing a university. The
task team consulted with the relevant stakeholders in that regard. Mpumalanga
Province became a key partner and intellectual input and practical support.
In 2010, Honourable D. Mabuza, the then Premier of Mpumalanga Province, announced
the establishment of the university.The University of Mpumalanga (UMP) together with Sol
Plaatje University, South Africa’s two post-apartheid universities, was expected to play a
role in the development and transformationof the society (Lowvelder Newspaper, 2017). As
the Minister of the Department of Higher Education and Training,Dr B.E. Nzimande in his
keynote address at the launch of the UMP on 31st October 2013, said, “Universities are
socially engaged institutions that are embedded in the cultural, economic lie and build
environments in whichthey find themselves”.
Furthermore, the Mpumalanga Province established a political task team led by the
Member of Executive Council for Education and the Technical Provincial Committee to
ensure support towardsthe establishment of the UMP (DARDLA, 2012).
The Records and Archives Department was established in 2015. The university
archivist was appointed in 2016. The purpose of the establishment of the Records and
Archives Department was to preserve institutional memory of the university. Beyond
this background of goals and university objectives, the university archives pursue the
project amid an increasing attention to collaborate with the Student Affairs Department
(SAD) to ensure the collection of the student affairs records (SARs). Archives are seen as
a means of documenting the outcomes of research and creative efforts of students, staff
and faculty and of addressing the need for storing and accessing records of the university
(Miner and Kahl, 2012). The Records and Archives Department aims to improve access to
archival collections. The university archivist and records manager’sfirst task was to
appraise students’records related to previous LCA. Appraisal was done to ensure that
the records with archival value are identified, arranged and described. The focus was on
processing student’sfiles so that they would be available for use by the researchers. The
second part of the archivists was to develop a records management policy. SARs were
regarded as the institutional memory with value to the university. Furthermore, the
Records Management Advisory Committee was formed to advice the university on
the issue of records and archives management.
The UMP management established SAD with 15 staff members to enhance student
growth and development, to improve the quality of student experience by creating an
effective and progressive student leadership. SAD creates records such as societies, events,
sports, students’accommodation, culture, and community engagements. These records
constitute memory and history of student life. The UMP management makes an effort to
manage the SARs by creating and establishing the Records and Archives Management
Department, and by appointingarchivists to advice the university on issues of archives and
records managementpolicy, including SARs.
The concept of the SARs, as defined by Wagner and Smith (2012), refers to SARs as
clubs, performances, sports teams and student life; material reflecting residential life,
student publications and student social life. With this definition in mind, one may observe
that there are variousrecords created by various student organisations at the UMP.
The universities are to manage records in compliance with the national archives
legislations, regulations and standards (IRMT, 2009). The importance of policy framework
in the successful processing, storing and preserving of records cannot be overemphasized.
Universities are to develop guidelineson the records creation, acquisition of records, records
classification, appraisal of records, records scheduling, destruction of records, training of
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