Assessment of School Information System Utilization in the UAE Primary Schools

Abstract

This paper presents an assessment of School Information Systems (SIS) Utilization in the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) primary schools through a holistic descriptive approach that involves explaining, studying and analyzing the current technical status of the schools’ SIS. To do so, the researchers used a series of case studies (documents analysis, questionnaires and interviews) of a number of primary schools representing the educational zones of the UAE to acquire an understanding of SIS level of utilization. According to the research results, the majority of primary schools have computerized their administrative activities at different levels via the Ministry of Education’s suggested system or individually procured systems. Though, the use of Information and Communication Technologies, including SIS, is in its initial stage despite the adopted strategy by the UAE government to accelerate the effective utilization of educational management and automation technologies in the educational institutions and the Ministry of Education itself.