E-GOVERNANCE: A SOCIOLOGICAL CASE STUDY OF THE CENTRAL ADMISSION SYSTEM IN TANZANIA

This paper draws upon "sociotechnical theory" as an effective approach to examine e-governance implementation challenges in higher education institutions where multiple stakeholders exist. The use of sociotechnical theoretical approach provides a valuable contribution to the research domain of sociological studies of e-governance in the public sectors, particularly in higher education quality assurance. A sociological interpretive analysis of the Central Admission System in Tanzania (as a case study) is presently under concern for this end. In African context, Tanzania in particular, ICT penetration is concentrated in urban areas hence the issue of "digital divide" is an on-going debate which calls upon the need to understand the implementation of e-governance projects and their challenges. The paper concentrates, through in-depth interviews with key users of the Central Admission System (applicants, admission officers and IT staff), on how the implementation of the system poses various socio-technical challenges in attempt to improving quality assurance in higher education admissions. Our research reveals that introduction of new technology in higher education admissions have created multiple challenges for users and implementers of the system. The paper shows that "digital divide" and low IT skills - are leading challenges in the implementation of e-governance in the country. Given the prevailing admission malpractices, Tanzania's initiative to implement the Central Admission System will most likely eliminate such practices within higher education institutions. The paper highlights the milieus in which the implementation of the system takes place; specifically, the existing multiple stakeholders of the system and autonomous nature of the higher education institutions. This research advances the theoretical understanding of "sociotechnical systems" to a new "multilevel" ICT implementation and offers policy makers propositions for confronting such circumstances. This paper also appeals practical recommendations to assist e-governance adopters in the public sectors especially regulatory agencies in Tanzania as well as other developing countries.