A study on E-Governance in Osmania University

The World Bank in its report on E-Governance has defined E-Governance as: “Use by

government agencies of information technologies to improve and transform relations with

citizens, businesses, and other arms of government.” Government of India is also taking

many initiatives towards the E-Governance, the Cabinet, Planning Commission, Department

of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances, Department of Information Technology and

other Central Ministries/Departments at the Centre and various State Governments are

working towards fixing specific achievable objectives and deadlines for various processes

within the Government. One – stop government is the goal of most of the e-governance

initiatives. It refers to a single window access to all public services and information and

should provide services through various delivery channels such as self-service kiosks, call

centers, mobile access, web portals, etc to overcome problems of digital divide.

E-governance is the application of information & communication technologies to

transform the efficiency, effectiveness, transparency and accountability of informational &

transactional exchanges with in government, between govt. & govt. agencies of National,

State, Municipal & Local levels, citizen & businesses, and to empower citizens through

access & use of information. It is the use of ICT by different actors of the society with the

aim to improve their access to information and to build their capacities. E-governance is

no more and no less than governance in an electronic environment. It is both governance

of that environment and governance within that environment, using electronic tools

(Zussman, 2002). Governance is a concept that involves the interactions among structures,

processes and traditions that determine how power is exercised, how decisions are taken

and how their say has been by citizens or other stakeholders.

 E-governance started in India in the early ‘70s with a drive to improve work

efficiency in the areas of economic monitoring, planning and the deployment of (ICT).

Since then, it has been utilized in every aspect of the work environment, i.e., for reaching

out to rural areas, for promoting transparency and accountability, to enable swift delivery

of information and services and much more. E-governance is not about software and

hardware, but about people and processes.

In view of the proposed roll out of the ambitious National e-Governance Plan (NeGP),

Government of India was keen to understand the nature and quantum of impact created by e-

Government projects that had already been implemented by state and national agencies. The

Department of Information Technology (DIT), Government of India as the nodal coordinating

agency for the NeGP was directed to carry out an impact assessment study of mature state and

national projects that have been implemented in India. As a part of the first phase three state-

level e-Government projects – vehicle registration, property registration and land records were

selected for assessment in twelve states across India. Three national-level projects

implemented by the Income Tax department, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), and

the issue of passport by Regional Passport Offices were also assessed during the first phase.

The assessment was to focus on the nature and quantum of impact on users (citizens and

businesses). Assessment of impact on other stakeholders such as the department implementing

the project was not taken up in the first phase. It was hoped that the study would help in rating

the overall success of these projects so that a few projects with varying level of success could

be studied in depth in follow up studies to identify key determinants of impact. The

Department of Information Technology (DIT), Ministry of Communication and Information

Technology, empanelled eleven agencies for carrying out the field work. Each agency was

assigned the task of assessing the impact of the three state-level e-Government projects in one

state and prepare an individual report for each project. Three of these agencies were selected to

do the field work and prepare a report on one national-level project each. Indian Institute of
Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA) served as a technical advisor for the proposed study. A team

from IIMA worked closely with the team from DIT in the implementation of the assessment

study. The IIMA team provided feedback to the market research (MR) agencies at key points

in the study. The DIT team was responsible for seeing that the MR agencies incorporated the

feedback. This report prepared by IIMA consists of two parts summarizing the key findings

from the 3 National level project reports prepared by market research agencies in Chapter 1

and the 36 state level project reports in Chapter 1I. The individual reports prepared by the

market research agencies are also available in the public domain on the DIT web site.
Research Methodology

Research Objectives:

The research has been conducted keeping the following objectives in mind:

1. To find out existing systems of e-Governance in Osmania University

2. To identify the key issues in implementing e- Governance in Osmania University

3. To identify the gaps in the e-Governance systems of University.

Statement of the Research Problem

The problem can be defined as follows:

“To identify the various initiatives taken by Osmania University in the field of E-

Governance and find out how it interacts with the society. Also, to find out how

transparency is ensured in the various operations of Osmania University.”

Need for Study:

This study will help students (as citizens), as well as the staff to have a better

understanding of e- governance system of Osmania University, and also, to bridge the gaps

prevailing in the present system.

Limitations and Constraints:

 The findings are based on the subjective opinion of the respondents and the truth

of the answers cannot be assessed.

 The descriptive quality of the study undertaken is dependent on the veracity

of the responses, which is a constraint within which the researchers had to

work.

(v)

 Sometimes due to lack of awareness, the faculty members were not able to answer.

Data Processing Procedures:

Data analysis was done using SPSS 11.5 software.

Review of Literature

E-Governance model

The three main target groups that can be distinguished in e-governance concepts are

government, citizens and businesses. Abbreviations such as B2B (Business to Business)

and B2C (Business to Consumer) are used, like in e-commerce concepts, to shortly

describe which of the main groups

Changing with the time, the Osmania University, Chandigarh has conceptualized many e-

governance small projects/ incentives. This study tries to examine the perception of the

students, faculty and staff regarding E-governess effectiveness in the Osmania University.

Data from total 200 respondents was collected and analyzed for this purpose. Faculty

members identified ‘Proper Training’ as the most effective measure to improve the current

state of e-governance of the university. The study also identifies that complete

implementation of E-governance in University will include building technical Hardware

and Software infrastructure. It will also include better and faster connectivity options.

are interacting. The most common interactions in e-governance, G2C, G2B and G2G, are

presented schematically in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Inter-relations in the field of e-Governance

Stages of E-Governance:

According to Gartner, e-governance will mature according to the following four phases:

Information → Presence

Interaction → Intake processes

Transaction → Complete

transactions Transformation →

Integration & change

Phase – 1: Information

In the first phase, e-governance means being present on the web, providing the public

(G2C & G2B) with relevant information. Internally (G2G) the government can also

disseminate static information with electronic means, such as the Internet.

Phase – 2: Interaction

In the second phase, the interaction between government and the public (G2C & G2B) is

stimulated with various applications. People can ask questions via e-mail, use search

engines, and download forms and documents. Internally (G2G) government organizations

use LANs, intranets and e-mail to communicate and exchange data.

Phase – 3: Transaction

With phase three, the complexity of the technology is increasing, but customer (G2C &

G2B) value is also higher. Complete transactions can be done without going to an office.

Examples of online services are filing income tax, filing property tax, extending/renewal

of licenses, visa and passports and online voting. In this phase, internal (G2G) processes

have to be redesigned to provide good service. Government needs new laws and legislation

to enable paperless transactions.

Phase – 4: Transformation

The fourth phase is the when all information systems are integrated and the public can

get G2C & G2B services at one (virtual) counter. One single point of contact for all

services is the
 ultimate goal. In this phase, cost savings, efficiency and customer satisfaction reach

highest possible levels.

E-Governance Trends:

Government’s Performance:

Pressure is mounting on the government to reduce the operating cost. At the same time

citizens expect an improved service from the government with more flexibility and

efficiency, and without any premium rate for the additional services.

Growing number of digital citizens:

The common man’s skill level in using the digital technology is increasing. Digital citizens

are moving from passive consumers of government services to active consumers.

Reengineering the government structure:

The old industrial models should give way to new virtual communities to provide a more

value- added service to the e-citizens in a networked environment. This calls for a

fundamental change to the government business model.

Involving e-governance Communities:

Involving citizens and government lawmakers in the planning process of launching a

government site will bring more transparency and access to data. Also, it will ensure the

government services to evolve into a form which is more citizen driven.

Managing the change in responding to digital economy:

Successful management of changes in adapting to the digital economy not only gives a

better and cheaper government but also a very different government

Hurdles in Implementing E-governance

The hurdles faced while implementing e-governance in India are as follows: Lack of

Clarity of Objectives, Inadequacy of Funds, Dearth of talented workforce, Data Backlog,

Change Management, Lack of Coordination among different departments, Lack of

technically superior Internet , Rigid Legal Framework, Maintenance Challenge and

Citizenry Readiness

E-Governance in relation to Universities:

The concept of governance applied to the University is related to the exercise of

controlling the power of different centers and departments which are part of the

University. This kind of exercise is based on the drawing of an adequate system which

executes different levels of institutional and relational power. These are integrated in a

model of electronic governance (e- governance), which is structured in different Internal

Information Systems (IIS).

The full operation of these new digital e-governance platforms implies the

transposition of e-business models into the institutional organizational and relational

networks of the Universities.

Many Universities are now embracing the use of Information and Communication

Technologies (ICTs) in search for more efficient and competitive processes both in

delivery of lectures as well as in administrative processes. The demand to automate

university process is becoming important in line with university quality assurance.

A brief resume of researches conducted and related to the present study has been presented

under the following heads:

E-Governance of Universities: A Proposal of Benchmarking Methodology:

This paper aims to provide a benchmarking proposal related to the area of e-governance of

universities. An e-governance tool is proposed in order to disseminate both the mission

and the institutional culture of each University into a formal scheme of benchmarking

tools. This paper aims to reveal the importance of benchmarking for universities through

its contribution both to carry out more effective evaluations and to detect organizational

problems that should be subsequently improved and surpassed. Through the analysis of the

most relevant studies, a set of indicators was built in order to evaluate the benchmark

related to e-governance.

An ideal model of e-governance can be executed by the implementation of four main

dimensions (Leitner, 2003): (i) Adaptation and coordination of the public policies (ii)

Participatory democracy (of the most representative players in what concerns to the

services supply); (iii) Creation of cooperative networks (for the implementation of

public policies for development);

(vi) Access to clear and open informative systems of governance.

Importance of e-education and e-Governance,

In this study, two important issues –electronic governance (e-governance) and electronic

education (e-education) – are discussed on the Scenario of Zonguldak Karaelmas

University (ZKU), Bartın Faculty of Forestry, Department of Landscape Architecture. In

this study, three international and one national case are examined, and they are compared

with the ZKU. As a result of the study, the common problems of e - governance and e-

education, their problems in Turkey and at the ZKU are determined, and the proposals for

the solution of these problems are developed. As a final remark, the contributions of

universities for the constitution of Knowledge Cities and the reflections of this study to the
City of Bartın are emphasized.

The study introduces the ZKU, Department of Landscape Architecture as a special

focus centre. Three international and one national cases are examined, and they are

compared with the ZKU. As a result of the study, the common problems of e-governance

and e-education, their problems in Turkey and at the ZKU are determined, and the

proposals for the solution of these problems are developed.

It has been concluded that:

 E-government can only succeed in an environment where the appropriate

framework supports the development of e-initiatives. Political stability, financial

soundness, and government policies will affect competitiveness in the field of the

network readiness of the countries (Saidi and Yared, 2001).

 ICT and e-Government can only thrive when the necessary technical infrastructure

is available. Sufficient investments need to be made into setting up wide-reaching

backbone networks, broadband access and the required systems and networks

(UNDP 2003).

E-Governance in India: Dream or reality?

International Journal of Education and Development using Information and

Communication Technology (IJEDICT), 2007, Vol. 3, Issue 2, pp. 125-137. This article

discusses the position of India in e-governance environment and issues and challenges

ahead. The objective of the paper

is to find at which state India lies in terms of e-governance growth model. The study will

try to analyze the issues and challenges for the country. The article identifies 4 stages of E-
Governance (Layne 2001) as cataloguing (information), transaction, vertical integration

(interactive), and horizontal integration (strategic, interactive) or transformation

These four stages are arranged in terms of complexity and different levels of

integration. According to the research, India is now on the verge of attaining the third

stage for most of the departments like financial institutions, railways, income tax

department etc. As a result, there are many challenging issues lying ahead. Security is

the main concern for the citizen, and redefining rules and procedures, information

transparency, legal issues, infrastructure, skill and awareness, access to right information,

inter-departmental collaboration, tendency to resist the change in work culture, are the

main concerns for the government to address. Other then all these factors, the government

needs to make significant investments in areas such as government process re-engineering,

capacity building, training, assessment and awareness.

Findings and Analysis

State of University's E-Governance:

The following graph shows the average rating given to the University’s E-Governance by
the faculty members:

30
25
25 22
C
o 20
u 15
n 10
t 3
5
0 0
0
Poor Bad Average Good Very
Good
Rating

Fig 2: State of University’s E - Governance

The results show that no member of the faculty is satisfied with the current state of E-
Governance of the university. Not even a single person has given a rating of 5 (very good)
to the university’s E-Governance. But the average rating comes out to be 3. This means
that current state of E-Governance of the University is not that good and needs to be
improved a lot to bring it to the rating of 5.
 Roadblock in implementing E-Governance

State Policies 3.2

Reluctance of people 3.6
Lack of expertise 3.4
Poor planning 3.8
Poor conectivity 3.8
Roadblocks

Privacy issue 2.9

H/S problems 3.2
Lack of time 3.2
Insufficient funds 3.6
Inter dependancies 4.1
Lack of manpower 4.2
Lack of initiative 3.6
Lack of Training 4

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 M

4 ean 4.5

Fig 3: Roadblocks in implementing E - Governance

Out of all the problems, only one has rating below 3. This means all the other problems
have an unavoidable presence in the University. The dominant one is the LACK OF
MANPOWER. The second comes the INTERDEPARTMENTAL DEPENDANCIES due
to which university is not able to implement E-Governance effectively. Similar rating is
given to third problem, which is LACK OF TRAINING to faculty. This means people
don’t know how to implement E- Governance in the university. Unless and until they don’t
know how to implement E-Governance in university, there is no scope for progress in the
system.
Measures to improve E-Governance of the University:
Following are few measures to improve E-Governance of the university and their
corresponding ratings as suggested by faculty members:

Rectifying server problems 4.4

Proper planning 4.5

Sufficient budgets 4

Automation 3.8

Regular checks 4

Providing desktops 4.4

Hiring experts 3.8

Involving students 4.1

Proper Training 4.6

0 0.5 1 1.5 2Mean2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5

Fig 4: Measures to improve E - Governance

All the suggested variables have got rating above 3. This means all the measures need to
be implemented according to the faculty members to improve the E-Governance system
of university. The most important being PROPER TRAINING.
Rating of Osmania University’s website:
The rating shows that neither the students, nor the faculty is satisfied with the current state
of university’s E-Governance and a lot of improvements need to be done.

Rating of Osmania University’s

website

28% 28%
Good Bad Bad
Average
Good

Average

44%

Fig 5: Rating of Osmania University’s website

Problems with the website: Following are few of the problems which according to
students are present in the website of PU:
 Detailed info is not present 3.547

Online facilities are missing 3.653

Website works slowly 3.727

Irregular updation 3.833

Links do not work 3.727

Unnecessary links are there 3.107

Website is too much complex 2.773

Home page of few departments is not 3.62

attractive

Home page is not attractive 3.58

Mean 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5

Fig 6: Problems in the Osmania University’s website

Measures to improve the E-Governance:
Following are few of the measures which according to students must be implemented:

Providing online facilities 4.2

Change in overall structure 3.9

Links should be checked regularly 4.2

Involving students 4.1

Improvement in interface 4.1

Regular updation 4.3

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5

Mean

Fig 7: Measures to improve E- Governance

All the suggested measures have got rating above 3. This means all are quite
important and need to be implemented to improve the state of University’s E-
Governance.
The most important being TIMELY AND REGULAR UPDATION.
Conclusion

From the above findings, we can conclude that state of university’s E-Governance is just
average, as rated by most of the faculty members and students. Many problems exist in
the website as well as E-Governance of the university like irregular updation, non working
links, etc. Even many of the faculty members have no or very less information about their
own department’s site. Neither the students, nor the faculty is satisfied with the current
state of university’s E-Governance. Lack of initiative in the faculty members and irregular
updation of the website are the most dominant problems existing in the university along
with the other ones as shown above. Hence a lot of improvements need to be done by the
faculty as well as the management to improve the current scene. .
Recommendations

A good and sound E-Governance system is very important for our university. The
problems highlighted above need to be carefully looked upon and solved as soon as
possible. Although the university provides many facilities on its website, but according to
the results, many gaps have been identified.

Following measures can be implemented to improve the current state of E-

governance of Osmania University: Providing proper training to faculty members, Regular
updation of the website of PU as well as of each department, Providing online facilities
like online registration, etc., Regular checks by computer department, Involving students
in the process, Improving the interface, Changing overall structure of the website,
Providing good computers to each faculty member, Rectifying server problems, Allocation
of sufficient budgets, All faculty members should be on PUmail rather than on Gmail and
Quick service in rectifying server problems.
Also, all the faculty members should access the webpage of their department
regularly to keep themselves updated and well informed at least about their own
department. A good amount of effort needs to be don’t so that the rating of the university’s
E-Governance can be brought to ‘Very Good’ or at least ‘Good’.
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