Experiences and Perceptions of Information Officers in Local Educational Administration

This study aims to explore the experiences and perceptions of Administrative Officers responsible for the Informatization of Local Educational Administration at Provincial and Municipal Offices of Education. To achieve this, written surveys and Focus Group Interviews (FGIs) were conducted with Administrative Officers in charge of informatization tasks at the headquarters and affiliated institutions of 16 Provincial and Municipal Offices of Education. The analysis was organized around four key domains: resources and infrastructure, organization, personnel, and competency. The main themes identified in the domain of resources and infrastructure included the continued perception of informatization units as support departments, passive investment due to the notion of informatization as a “money-eating hippo,” the invisible nature of work outcomes, and the characterization of informatization as the “neural network” of local educational administration. In the organizational domain, the study revealed issues such as the fragmentation of tasks among pluralistic organizations, the need to strengthen planning and coordination functions at headquarters, and the necessity of establishing dedicated informatization units. In terms of personnel, the analysis highlighted the uniform staffing structure centered on IT technicians, the absence of Chief Information Officers, and the need for diversity among organization members. In the competency domain, key themes included insufficient competency among staff, the need to utilize professional positions for tasks requiring continuity, and the appointment of data leaders. Based on these findings, the study suggests the following for the stable establishment and advancement of informatization in local educational administration: enhancing understanding and raising awareness of informatization tasks and organizations, establishing a dedicated department at headquarters to serve as the control tower for planning and managing informatization, assigning educational administrative officers and supervisors to informatization units, and improving laws and systems related to appointing Chief Information Officers as data leaders.