The Kaduna State Ministry of Education, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has launched a state-wide digital initiative to revamp its Education Management Information System (EMIS), with the aim of enhancing educational planning, transparency, and accountability.
The reform includes the digitisation of the Annual School Census and the creation of a real-time dashboard to monitor school performance across all 23 Local Government Areas. Over 8,000 public and private schools are expected to benefit from the upgrade.
Speaking at the end of a two-day training held at Queen Amina College in Kaduna South Local Government Area on Friday, the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mr Rabiu Yinusa, emphasised the need to tackle persistent data inaccuracies that have hindered educational development in Kaduna and beyond.
“Without accurate data, we cannot effectively plan or monitor projects. We won’t know which schools need infrastructure or where there are shortages of teachers, especially in critical subjects like science,” Yinusa stated.
He explained that the new digital platform is designed to provide reliable, up-to-date information for infrastructure planning, teacher deployment, student tracking, and resource allocation.
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To address previous challenges of data loss and manipulation, the Ministry has enforced strict measures regarding the use of data collection devices.
“Officers have been mandated to return previously distributed tablets, and noncompliance will attract salary deductions,” he added.
According to Yinusa, the newly developed digital dashboard allows for real-time monitoring of education data across all LGAs.
“With a single click, any Local Government can access information about a particular school. If someone tries to feed us with inaccurate data, we’ll compare it with previous records and flag inconsistencies.”
He expressed optimism that with the state’s 26% education allocation in the 2025 budget and the governor’s commitment to inclusive governance, the reforms will be fully realised.
“We have a leader, not a ruler. Our Governor runs an inclusive government that cares for the less privileged. I’m confident the 26% education budget will be fully implemented,“ he said.
UNICEF’s Education Officer in Kaduna, Mr Bala Dada, also spoke at the event, highlighting the initiative as part of a broader reform to transform Kaduna’s education data systems.
Supported by the Islamic Development Bank, the Global Partnership for Education, and the Korea Education and Economic Development Fund, the digital EMIS is a foundational tool for the “Reaching Out-of-School Children” initiative.
“The digital EMIS will make it easier to collect, access, analyse, and use education data to inform decisions and improve the quality of education delivery in Kaduna State,” Dada noted.
He added that the platform will eventually integrate comprehensive records on students, teachers, learning outcomes, and out-of-school children, thereby enabling evidence-based decision-making and effective policy responses to challenges in the education sector.
