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 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 efficiency of the Polytechnic’s administrative systems and online services, which then, allows us to avail the best for our students. With comprehensive solutions that ITS offers, we aim to meet and exceed our students’ expectations in terms of our services. We also hope to set a trend for that other educational organizations in the region to follow.”
He further added, “Bahrain Polytechnic will also be able to provide services to all its students, whether in the region or internationally. New services will 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 especially in technical aspects for universities, including Bahrain Polytechnic.
He added that ITS is constantly innovating with unique technological programs and solutions which are custom-made to accommodate the requirements of its partners in the education sector.
Human Element in ITS
Khalid Al-Ameeri, ITS Regional Director and Deputy General Manager for the Gulf Region, highlighted the importance of raising a proposed information systems strategy to meet the level of the university’s vision and goals. He explained, what sets ITS apart was the availability of qualified Arab human resources that specialized in 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.
The system being deployed by ITS, is the Banner, owned by the American SunGard SCT Co, which has been implemented in more than 1,800 universities worldwide.
The Banner system is considered the best globally, as it is designed to help students and faculty members to complete applications online with ease. It allows linkage with international systems, and can be easily 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 pertinent information to make the right decision appropriately. The project will allow students and faculty members to use online self-services, within the framework of 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 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. This will help them place and manage budgets effectively, while facilitating correct decision-making and can also accommodate salary listings of a special nature. It will also allow for smooth placement of budgets in the employee records department.
In terms of benefits, the project will provide a single database that includes all of 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.
