The Role of Electronic Records Management (ERM) for supporting Decision making Process in Yemeni Higher Professional Education (HPE): A Preliminary Review

Abstract

The importance of information has influenced many organizations especially in developed countries such as UK and USA to invest in their information management budget to ensure their survival and comply with the law requirement of their countries. Information could determine the organizations’ success or failures since the process of decisions making mainly must be based on it. To be of value, information must be recorded. This recorded information which contains evident must be preserved. This is because records are evidence of organizational activities, transactions and decisions. Information embed in records supports business functions and are critical for the assessment of organizational performance. Records carry information created as the product of transactions carried out by organizations. Without reliable records agencies and governments could not manage their resources, its revenue or civil service and also cannot deliver services such as education and healthcare. Yemeni Universities and Community colleges where Higher Professional Education (HPE) is adopted to make full use of information embedded in records in any decision made. Yemen started introducing and implementing the HPE system which offers highly qualified specialists to the labor market with the help and support from Netherland government. The HPE project implemented more than five new outcomes based education (OBE) programs at three institutions namely the Industrial Technical Institute (ITI), Aden Community College and Sana’a Community College (SCC).OBE is a portfolio cantered system and the assessment method is depending on recorded information in the documents disclosed in the portfolio. The evaluation decision is based on the reliable information in the portfolio. It is impossible for an educational organization to function efficiently without proper ERM .However, there is not framework as guidance for managing these electronic records, thus making ERM ineffective and efficient leaving evaluation decisions not persuasive. To assess, evaluate and make decisions successfully Yemen’s HPE system requires a framework for managing its electronic records in order to be relevant and trustworthy for making decisions.