An assessment of the extent to which the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council has embraced technology to enhance performance: (January 2009 to June 2013)

Abstract

This research focused on the assessment of the extent to which the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council has embraced technology to enhance performance. The overall objective of the study was to assess the extent to which the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council had embraced technology to enhance service delivery over the period January 2009 to June 2013.

The researcher adopted the quantitative research method to undertake the study. A sample size of 100 respondents was drawn from ZIMSEC Head Office in Harare where 195 employees were in post. The sample comprised three levels namely, top management, middle management and staff. These were drawn from different departments and comprised of both male and female employees with varied length of service at ZIMSEC.

The study found out that:- • Performance is being hampered by lack of adequate investment in ICT infrastructure. • ZIMSEC does not have a critical mass of staff with the requisite ICT skills • ICT is not being fully prioritized in areas critical to organizational performance, especially organizational performance tracking, B2B relation management, organizational learning and growth, and innovation and change. • Systems such as e-marking and e-registration have been adopted albeit at limited scale.

The study recommended that ZIMSEC should: • Engage development and cooperating partners • Develop staff ICT skills • Prioritize ICT and automate business processes • Fully embrace e-marking and e-registration

The recommended areas for further study were:- • The effect of the work environment on performance; • Impact of staff motivation on performance; and • Impact of staff skills and development on performance.