| dc.description.abstract | The study was an ‘Investigation into Accessibility, Filing and Storage of Records in The Ministry of Education, Sports, Science and Technology’. Four specific research objectives guided the study; To establish the currents status of records management at the Ministry of Education, Sports, Science and Technology; To find out how records are managed at the Ministry of Education, Sports, Science and Technology; To identify the challenges of managing records at the Ministry of Education, Sports, Science and Technology; To make suggestions for the best practices in managing records at the Ministry of Education, Sports, Science and Technology. The study used a case study design with qualitative research methodologies to collect and analyze data from 74 respondents using questionnaires, interviews and document analysis techniques. Quantitative data was analyzed using Excel while qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis technique and presented using paraphrasing of responses, direct quotation and descriptive narration. The study found that filing and storage of records in the Ministry of Education, Sports, Science and Technology was done using manual formats, inform of books, application forms, magazines, newspapers, curricula, loose minutes, memo, circulars and letters. On the management of records, the study found that the ministry registry uses manila papers, box files, storage cabins, shelves and boxes to store records. Records accessibility involved selecting a document from a collection according to the presence or absence of keywords assigned by an indexer. An extension of this approach allows automatic synthesis or summarization of financial records in the system. Retrieval processes also take a manual format. The study concluded that the challenges of records management included; lack of centralization which led to catastrophic data loss which was caused by hardware or program failure, or because of the activities of malicious hackers, unauthorized access and the state of records access and retrieval was poor, since, at times, records that were requested in bulk took long to be retrieved and many files were lost with no known reasons; lack of specialized staff training, some records staff lack professional skills in computer use, more especially the specialized programmes of records management on computer. The researcher recommends that record management work tools such as computers and internet connectivity to the financial record officers can improve their job efficiency. The study also recommended that the working environment for staff should also be improved upon in terms of salaries and wages, as well as the availing the necessary equipment for work. Equipment/materials like dust masks, paper files, file folders, Manila paper, computers and internet connectivity should be availed to the record officers to facilitate their smooth operations in their daily activities. | en_US |
