DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF AUTOMATED STUDENT SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT

ABSTRACT
This research focused on the Design and Implementation of Automated Students School Fees Payment using Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Osurua as a case study. It aims at creating a system whereby student’s school fees can be logged into the school’s bank account electronically. The manual system of paying school fees had to do with physical handing over of cash or money paid by students to the school which was dangerous and prone to armed banditry. The new system enables cash to be transferred from the bank to the school bank account which is faster and safer than doing it manually. With this method, the bursary department/school management is being relieved from some financial antagonisms and having the total satisfaction to acumen. Students who pay their monies also scarce themselves from being scared by criminals and as such protect their fees. Data for this research were both from primary and secondary sources, which include, books, journals, internet, school vouchers and of course the interviews. The programming language employed for this research program design was visual basic (VB) language because it is easier, to code and less case sensitive. The research was implemented with the installation of the program at the case study for careful observation.
 
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
The essence for one going to school is for better survival tomorrow wherein becoming what he or she is capable of becoming what he or she wants in life. And the desire of knowledge is the natural feeling of mankind and every human being whose mind is not debauched will be willing to give all that is required of him or her to get knowledge.   It is on this basic idea that knowledge oriented organization (school) has been set up as a ground for people to go in and learn in respond to paying for their acquired – knowledge for tomorrow’s success.   According to Oxford Dictionary of Current (6th Edition), fee is defined as an amount of money that one pay for professional services. Simply put, school fee is that fixed interval payment made by a student or students to the school he or she attends.   From the definition, one can outline that school fee payment supposed to be in a regular interval that is timely, although sometime may not be that ready by the student due to some financial lapses. Financial lapses poses a lot of problems to school management because of some pressing needs. However, when students refuse to pay their school fees on time the school management seems to lack money in the purse which at this render the management ineffective. Apart from the management being ineffective financially, students also face barriers by not being allowed to write their examinations which is one of the academic frustration or setback.
Using computer – based system for fees payment necessitated this research in order to help solve this problems of either delayed fee payment, or the student not paying at all or the fee being misused/mismanaged or entangled with criminal attack either on the side of student at the course of payment or the side of bursary department/school management.   Using Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Osurua, Ikot Ekpene as a case study, the research has the intention of creating a software that could process students school fees payment to Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic bank accounts and electronically lodging individual students fees indicating name, department, registration number, level/class, date of payment, amount of money paid, academic session/semester/ bank’s name, account number, phone number, school name and other personal records etc. This will enhance prompt payment and safe delivery and automatically stop the management and students from being frustrated financially and otherwise.           
1.1  Background of the Study
Before, now, people/students often embraced technological changes with the fear of the unknown and as such decided to carryout activities their usual way (manually).   However, the 21st century came with a lot of challenges that only the use of computer can solve problem effectively. Electronic/Automated payment of student school fees in any school would boost the school management morale and therefore increase productivity. However, this supports the mash low’s theory of management which is of the view that metrication of an organization financially will bring increase in productivity.   Therefore, the payment of student school fees in a particular school enhance the productivity of such school for both the management and students as well, even as a computer – based system is used for such payment for easiest and fastest mode of operation as well as accurate security and good financial management; which Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic is operating now.   
1.2  Statement of the Problem
The problems encountered with the manual method of school fees payment is viewed from two perspectives, the school managements problems and the students problem.   The school management problems have to do with the processing of students information about their paid fees with mistakes and come out with sum total and grand total amount of the paid fee from each class, department or across all the students who paid as a whole. The student problems on the other hand have to do with the embarrassment from the bursary department, such as wasting of time, mistake made in the receipt and criminal threatening and being driven out from the examination hall for not showing evidence of school fee receipt or even after paying shortly before the examination.  
1.3  Aim and Objectives of the Study
The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between the manual and automated student school fees payment system in Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot OSurua. §  The objective of this study is to create on automated-based system for students school fee payment §  To determined the conversion of manual system of school fees payment to computerized/automated method to ease the stress of students information processing during payment.  
1.4  Significance of the Study
This research work would help the management and students of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic to have a better knowledge of operating on the method of automated students fees payment and how this can be effective through practical aspect of the device. It is obvious that the manual system is slow in operation and also ineffective in service.   The in-convenience brought about by the manual system could be over-whelmed by the use of more effective and advanced system. In other words, an automated system minimize time delay procedures during students fee payment.     
1.5  Organization of Research
The research study has been arranged in the following order. Chapter one contains the introduction, theoretical background, statement of the problems, objectives of the study, organization of research, scope of the study, limitation of the study and definition of terms. Chapter two focused on the relevant literature review. Chapter three is concerned with the system design with emphasis on design, algorithm and flowchart. It also explains the development of the new automated students school fee payment system in Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Osurua. Chapter four is the system implementation which gives the direction of the system and analysis of modules. Chapter five centered on summary recommendation and conclusion  
1.6  Scope of the Study       
This study is restricted to Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Osurua, Ikot Ekpene and no other firm. Data used for the study were gotten from the case study only (Akwapoly). It focused on automated student’s school fee payment only.  
1.7  Limitation of the Study
The problems encountered during the course of carrying out this research include:
i.      Time for the research was too short couple with other academic work.
ii.     Lack of fund to take care of transportation and other expenses.
iii.    Lack of access to research materials on the topic in the polytechnic and public libraries.
iv.    The polytechnic’s bank and bursary department were not liberal  enough to give out information about their activities concerning student’s school fees payment.  
1.8  Definition of Terms
To do away with ambiguity, the following terms are hereby defined for easy comprehension.
i.      Design: In this context, it has to do with the coding of the program (software).
ii.     Fee: A fixed regular amount of money made by the school organization/management to a student.
iii.    Automated Payment: This is also known as electronic/computerized payment. It is the introduction of computer for easy disbursement of student fee payment to the school management/organization.
iv.    Basic Fee: It is fixed payment by students based on their level/class or programme offers.
v.     Sum Total Pay: This is the amount gotten by summing all the fees paid together.
vi.    Total/Grand Total: This is the overall amount of money which a student or students has to pay before official clearance for graduation. It is also the total fee-based analysis/report which must be made at the bursary department to the school management and that of bank to justify student’s fees total inflow for decision making.
vii.   File: This can be defined as complete collection of related records or information.
viii.  Data Base: This is a collection of data organized to service many application at the same time by storing and managing data so that they appears to be in one location.
ix     Computer: This is an electronic device or programmable machine that is capable of accepting data as input, process the data, store them and sent out the result of the processing as output according to logical instruction given by the user.