ITS signs contract with Bahrain Polytechnic for implementing a Student Information System (SIS)
Al-Saeed: ITS is keen on supporting its partners in their confrontation with educational technology challenges.
Scott: Our desire to raise the standard of our students is what drives Bahrain Polytechnic to select the best partners in the industry.
Bahrain Polytechnic recently signed a contract with International Turnkey Systems Group (ITS) for the implementation of the Banner Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. The system incorporates Banner’s ERP application for online enrolment and registration of students. It also includes an e-gateway for financial and administrative affairs, as well as an archiving application, and e-learning systems.
John W. Scott, Chief Executive of Bahrain Polytechnic, said, “Part of the Board of Trustees’ strategic development goals, include improving the efficiency of the Polytechnic’s administrative systems and online services, which then allows us to avail the best for our students. With the comprehensive solutions that ITS offers, we aim to meet and exceed our students’ expectations in terms of the services we provide. We also hope that other educational organizations in the region will follow our suit.”
He added, “Soon, Bahrain Polytechnic will be able to provide distinguished services to all of its students, whether in the Kingdom of Bahrain or abroad. New services will also be made available to faculty members, partnering companies, parents, institutions, and educational organizations involved with the Polytechnic.”
On his part, Khalid Faraj Al-Saeed, Managing Director and General Manager of ITS, expressed that recent developments in the Bahraini higher education sector have created many challenges for universities, including Bahrain Polytechnic, especially in areas of technical aspects.
He added that ITS always finds itself in a position ready to accommodate the requirements of its partners in the education sector, by offering unique technological programs and solutions.
Al-Saeed noted that in recent years, ITS has been successful in providing a number of solutions, programs, and unique technology to universities in the region. These are custom made to fit the needs of the students in this region, which set ITS apart from other companies working in this field.
Human Element in ITS
Khalid Al-Ameeri, ITS Regional Director and Deputy General Manager for the Gulf Region, highlighted the importance of raising the proposed information systems strategy to meet the level of the university’s vision and goals. He explained that, what sets ITS apart from the rest of its competitors was the availability of qualified Arab human resources that specialized in the application of university and higher education programs. This, he noted, is a natural outcome of the company’s long-term policy, adopted in 1981, of investing in training and development of specialists from the Arab world. The strategy has proven successful, where international programs are applied while taking into account the nature of universities in the Middle East, as well as providing job opportunities of international standards.
He explained that the system which ITS will be applying is the Banner, owned by the American SunGard SCT Co. The system has been implemented in more than 1,800 universities worldwide.
The Banner system is considered one of the best in the world, as it is designed to help students and faculty members to complete applications online with ease. It also allows linkage with international systems, and can easily be integrated into distance learning systems. The system is user friendly, and has one of the strongest security features to guarantee information safety.
Project Goals and Benefits
The aim of the project is to implement a complete registration and enrolment system that covers all academic levels, and supplies decision-makers with the information they need to make the right decision at the right time. The project will also allow students and faculty members to use online self-services, within the framework of the Polytechnic’s regulations. This online registration and enrolment system is a key step towards what would then become an organization electronically integrated with the e-government.
It also aims to implement a system for financial and administrative affairs, that will provide accurate and updated information to finance officers and administrators at the Polytechnic so that they can place budgets and manage them. This will facilitate correct decision-making, and can accommodate salary listings of special nature. It will also help the employee records department, and allow for smooth placement of budgets.
In terms of benefits, the project will provide a single database that includes all of the sectors in the Polytechnic relevant to enrolment and registration. This will help with information accuracy in this area.
The project will also create an instant integration between registration and the system for allocating students’ financial awards, as well as the financial and administrative systems, archives, and e-learning. A single e-gate will allow everyone to enter into the Polytechnic’s system, using the Luminis Portal system of Single Sign On. This, in turn, will raise technological efficiency of all students and faculty members, as well as online self-services that would lift some load off the students as they will not have to do paperwork.