By Asma’u Halilu, Kaduna
The Kaduna State Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has launched a statewide digital initiative to overhaul its Education Management Information System (EMIS).
The development is aimed at improving education planning, transparency, and accountability.
The joint effort includes the digitisation of the Annual School Census and the establishment of a real-time data dashboard to track school performance across the state.
Speaking at the end of a two-day training at Queen Amina College, Kaduna South Local Government area on Friday, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Rabiu Yinusa, stressed the urgency of addressing long-standing data inaccuracies that have undermined education delivery in the state and across Nigeria.
According to him, the initiative was being implemented across all 23 local government areas, covering over 8,000 public and private schools.
He mentioned that it is also aimed at providing reliable data that would guide infrastructure planning, teacher deployment, student tracking, resource allocation, and key elements in strengthening Kaduna’s education system.
“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,” he stated.
He revealed that the Ministry had experienced issues in the past with data loss and manipulation, partly due to poor tracking of data collection devices.
“To curb this, officers have been mandated to return tablets previously distributed, with noncompliance tied to salary deductions.”
“In a major technological upgrade, the Ministry has also developed a digital dashboard that allows real-time monitoring of school-level data across 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 said.
The senior civil servant expressed optimism that with the state’s 26% education budget for 2025 and renewed political will, the reforms will be fully implemented.
“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 affirmed.
UNICEF’s Education Officer in Kaduna, Mr. Bala Dada, highlighted that the digital census was a part of a broader transformation of the state’s EMIS.
Supported by the Islamic Development Bank, the Global Partnership for Education, and the Korea Education and Economic Development Fund, the project forms the data backbone 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.
“The digital platform will eventually integrate comprehensive records on students, teachers, learning outcomes, and out-of-school children.
“So, it will enable policymakers to make evidence-based decisions and respond to the needs of the education sector more effectively,” he explained.
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