$0 for a Data Management System

Awareness-building Campaign on First Nations Education

Ever since the use of computers became common, education ministries worldwide have been equipping their schools with computerized management tools, to allow them not only to ensure a rigorous control of the work of everyone in the school – students, teachers, professionals and administrators – but also to be accountable to the State and to parents concerning their management of public funds. These management systems enable schools to manage their work effectively and to measure achievement of objectives on an ongoing basis.

Examples of management systems in provincial and private schools

- Student management systems: computerized management of admissions, absences, changes of group or school;

- Human resource management systems: timetable management, leave, wages, benefits;

- School transportation management systems: timetables, student addresses, bus routes;

- Academic results management systems: computerized recording of grades, creation of school reports, graphic-assisted student progress follow-up by students and parents;

- School space management systems: control of schoolroom and gym occupation, computerized laboratory reservation;

- Report management systems: regular issue of reports on school numbers, work of school staff, quantity and quality of infrastructure;

These systems exist because the Ministère de l’Éducation and the school boards regard them as being vital for the schools’ educational mission, considering that they enable effective management and significant time savings, which are then passed onto students, as well as accountability to users.

Ever since band schools have been in existence, INAC’s funding formula has failed to find a single cent to develop systems like these. In almost every school, reports and a large amount of other work are completed by hand. There are no centralized databases to follow school results. This, of course, is the reason why it is very difficult to have indicators on education in band schools. This situation is difficult to understand, considering that for the last few years, First Nations accountability has seemed to be so important that even the Auditor General was amazed at the number of reports that was required by INAC. How then can accountability be possible without the tools to achieve it?