1. INTRODUCTION ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Uganda’s most valuable asset for attaining and sustaining rapid human and economic advancement is its people. The capacity of these people needs to be quantitatively and qualitatively nurtured in order to ease access to relevant information that would facilitate proper decision making for rapid social economic development. This strategy is devolved from the long-term aim of the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) to ensure that African countries move in the right path for sustainable growth and development, whose objectives among others are to ensure that Uganda achieves the agreed Millennium Development Goals (NEPAD, 2002:4).

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are a set of time-bound and quantified targets for reducing extreme poverty and extending universal rights by 2015. The MDGs provide the benchmarks for measuring progress and fundamentally reflect the shared aspirations of the various national governments in global human capacity development. This requires significant investment in education in an attempt to address important aspirations such as: improvement in standards of training, provision of specialized education and training programmes; enhancements of management and administration of education at national, district and institutional levels (Uganda, 1999: 90). Training in BRAM is one of the ways of bridging the gap.

Uganda needs to develop human capacity to manage information for democratic governance, transparency, accountability, and full observance of human rights, freedom of association and political consciousness among others to transform the society. This is Uganda’s aspiration towards developing a society that recognizes information as a national resource. The elements of this aspiration include; a well-developed and countrywide library, records and information sources, systems and services, and development of human, professional and expertise capacity in information management (Uganda, 1999:38). The Constitution of the Republic of Uganda states that:

Every citizen has a right to access to information in the possession of the state or any other organ or agency of the state except where the release of the information is likely to prejudice the security or sovereignty of the state or interfere with the right to the privacy of any other person (Uganda, 1995: Article 41 (1)).

To ensure easy access to information, the Government of Uganda enacted the National Records and Archives Act, 2001. The Act provides for the rationalization of the management of all government and other public records and archives (Uganda, 2001: Article 5). In order to manage quality and sustainable record systems in the country, there is need to develop human capacity in that area. In fact, the Government of Uganda pledges to strengthen records, museums, archives and documentation centers to ensure access to public domain information (Uganda, 2003:37). This has been enhanced by the enactment of the Access to Information Act, 2005. This Act provides for the right to access, all classes of, and procedure for obtaining access to information (Uganda, 2005). Pertaining to the above legal framework, there is a substantive need for the country to develop its human resource capacity to manage information, records and archives to enhance service delivery in the country. Consequently there must exist a body of records and information professionals with extensive theory and skills in order to effectively manage records, archives and information within national and private sector. This requires the development of the curriculum for records and archives management in the country.

Due to the increasing demand for records and archives managers, SLAU is proposing to introduce a three - year Undergraduate Bachelors Degree in Records and Archives Management as a measure to address this demand. However, a number of studies conducted in Uganda have demonstrated a continued records and archives management skills gap in the country. For example, a study on the ‘Library, Archives and Museum’ trinity: a professional challenge with particular reference to the knowledge society and to Uganda identified a need for records and information [Archives] professional programmes that will address the efficient management of knowledge materials at various administrative levels in Uganda (Magara, 2005:77). This challenge is more pronounced in the local governments as shown by an earlier study on information manpower capacity building for decentralization in Uganda through industrial training (Magara and Nyumba 2001:34). This study established that the local governments faced acute professional problems in records, archives and information management such as: failure to cope with the management of increasing volume of records, lack of access to information, poor information flow and the absence of records management plans. Other studies have evidently shown that organisations lack consistency in information provision, there is duplication of efforts, lack of accountability as regards to information and its access (Magara 2006:189).

Since the Government of Uganda considers information as a driver of productivity, there is a need for developing the human resource capacity in recording, documenting, preserving and safeguarding records and information in the country (Magara 2005). There is a conspicuous absence of a tailor-made curriculum that addresses the above concerns in information management.

Bachelors of Records and Archives Management programme, is designed to:

· Satisfy the increasing demand for trained records and archives professionals.

· Create upgrading avenues for existing undergraduate diploma programmes like DRAM, Secretarial studies, etc

· Strengthen local governments by providing personnel for records and archives management.

· Provide an opportunity for A-level leavers to develop a career in records and archives management.

2. RATIONALE FOR THE BRAM PROGRAMME

Information and records are key resources for individual, organizational, national and international development. It must therefore be generated, processed, stored, and disseminated. However, because it is a dynamic resource, the above activities cannot happen by themselves. Therefore, there must exist a body of information professionals with extensive theory (knowledge) and training (competence and skills) in order to effectively manage this information

3. PLANS (PATHWAYS)

For the BRAM programme, all the courses from year 1 to 3 are core. However, students will be required to take course units from BBA, BASA, BIT.

4. PROGRAMME GOAL, OBJECTIVES AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

4.1. OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The BRAM programme has the following objectives:

I. To build Human Resources capacity for the various government and private sector records and archives management institutions

II. To equip students with knowledge and skills for managing different types of records, archives and information institutions.

III. To prepare students for further professional growth in records, archives and information management.

4.2. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:

The Bachelor of Records and Archives Management prepare a student to be part of Records and Archives Management information. Work as a Records Officer, Records Manager, and Information Officer in government, Non-Governmental Organization.

The skills gained will make a student records/ information leader, supporting organization, access and management of information and its tools.

4.3. LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of the programme, graduates should be able to:

Understand how, ideas, knowledge and information/records are generated, communicated and used by individuals and organizations
Developed ability to generate, process, store and document information.
Manage and use information effectively and describe and analyze information flows and processes within organizations
Developed ability to apply technology in records management
Developed ability to provide records support in light of the organization goals.
Apply ICT in Records and Archives Management activities