A database-driven academic records management System for Kakungulu Memorial Secondary School Kibuli

Abstract

This project focused on the design and development of a Database-Driven Academic Records Management System (ARMS) for Kakungulu Memorial Secondary School Kibuli (KMSSK). The study was motivated by challenges associated with the existing academic records management practices, which relied heavily on paper-based records, spreadsheet applications, manual report compilation, and physical filing systems. These practices resulted in delayed access to information, data inconsistencies, excessive administrative workload, poor data security, and limited coordination among departments. The project was guided by four objectives: to examine existing academic records management practices and their limitations; to identify requirements for developing a database-driven academic records management system; to develop the database-driven academic records management system; and to test and validate the developed system. A mixed-methods case study approach was adopted. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, observation, and document review involving administrators, teachers, students, and parents. A total sample of three hundred thirty-one (331) respondents was targeted, while eleven respondents successfully participated, yielding a response rate of 93.6% Findings revealed that the existing records management environment was fragmented and inefficient, leading to delays in records retrieval, increased risks of human error, weak data security, and difficulties in monitoring student performance. Stakeholders expressed the need for a centralized system capable of supporting student registration, attendance management, marks processing, report generation, role-based access control, parent access, and efficient records retrieval. The study also identified critical non-functional requirements including security, usability, scalability, reliability, maintainability, and performance. Based on these requirements, a centralized database-driven system was designed and developed using a three-tier architecture comprising presentation, application, and database layers. The system incorporated modules for student registration, attendance management, academic records processing, grade computation, report generation, user management, parent access, and audit logging. System testing and validation confirmed that the developed solution effectively improved records accessibility, data accuracy, security, and administrative efficiency. Usability testing indicated that the majority of users found the system easy to use and capable of supporting academic records management with minimal assistance. The developed system successfully addressed the limitations of the existing practices and provides a practical, reliable, and scalable solution for academic records management at KMSSK