Comparative study of records management practices in public and private tertiary education institutions in Ghana

Abstract

This study explored records management practices of one public university and one private university. It specifically considered record keeping and management practices of administrators in these two universities, and then compared the practices between the universities. The study aimed at examining records management practices used for keeping records, records disposal and the challenges the institutions face in managing their records. The sample comprised 607 respondents from the two universities. Questionnaires were used to gather data. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data of the study. It was found that, there is no significant difference in the two universities with regards to guidelines and procedures on the creation and capturing of records. However, there was significant difference in the filing system used for record keeping in the two universities. The chi-square also showed significant differences in record disposal practices among the universities. Finally, the study found significant differences in challenges associated with records management practices in both universities. It is therefore, recommended that, workshops and training programmes should be regularly organized for staff to improve their skills in records management in public (University A) and adequate storage space should be provided in both universities.