By Ugboaja, Stanley U.
As part of efforts to automate all students’ payment transactions in the University, the Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUTMINNA), Prof. Abdullahi Bala, fsssn, has launched an electronic receipt payment platform for all charges for both undergraduate and postgraduate students.
The demonstration of the hi-tech payment platform, developed by the University’s Information Technology Services (ITS), took place today, Thursday, September 2, 2021 at the Senate Chamber, Main Campus, Bosso.
Speaking after the presentation, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Bala commended the Bursar of the institution, Mrs. Hadiza Goje and the Director of ITS for championing the digitization drive of transactions, adding that the newly developed e-receipt platform is consistent with the mission of his administration to ensure that all financial transactions in the University are automated.
The Vice-Chancellor added that the e-receipt portal would save costs for the University which would have hitherto been expended on printing paper receipts.
“As a University of Technology, we should be seen to be deploying technology in all of the things that we do. Also, the idea of students rushing to the Senate building each time because of one transaction or the other is largely being checkmated by the deployment of Financial Officers to the various Schools, Departments, Directorates, Centres and Units,” the first-rate professor disclosed.
Further, Prof. Bala stated that the e-receipt platform would also enable the Bursary staff to have a summarized information of the various payment transactions with a click of a button on the computer.
“We are happy because it is an additional feather to the hats of the Bursar, Mrs. Goje, the Bursary Department and the ITS that has been driving all these automations in the University,” he said.
Putting staff of the Bursary Department through the e-receipt platform, the Director, ITS, Prof. Mohammed Adamu stated that the platform would enhance efficiency and save time for staff of the Bursary Department, saying that the e-receipt platform is in tandem with global best practices.
The Director disclosed that staff of the Bursary Department can access the platform from anywhere in the world to verify all students charges with just a click of the button, while noting that the e-receipt platform has several security features which would make it difficult for anyone to compromise it.
Speaking earlier, the Bursar of the University, Mrs. Goje, fcna, fcti, said the launch of the e-receipt platform is in furtherance of her commitment to digitalise all financial transactions in the Bursary Department in order to enhance efficiency, save time, reduce wastage and promote accountability.
Mrs. Goje stated that all e-receipts that would be issued to students henceforth through the platform has unique authentication features to ease the process of verification by staff of the Department.
“Before now, we have been using the manual receipt. After this presentation, you would not be writing receipts again, rather you will be printing it directly from your laptops,” she disclosed.
She urged staff of the Department to pay keen attention during the presentation by the Director of ITS and to ask questions on the usage of the platform.
The features of the e-receipt platform include acceptance fee payment, registration for new and returning undergraduate and postgraduate students, e-receipt for transcript, certificates and other charges.
In attendance at the brief ceremony were the Deputy Bursars, Mrs. Rebecca Adams, Mal. Mohammed Kudu Ahmed and other staff of the Bursary Department and ITS.