FG To Unveil One-Stop Data Management System To Aid Education Planning, Implementation

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The Federal Government has disclosed plans to introduce a one-stop data management system to aid policy implementation in the education sector.

To this end, the Federal Ministry of Education will, on July 1st, 2026, unveil the Digital National Education Management Information System (DNEMIS).

National Project Coordinator, Special Programmes Operations and Implementation Unit (SPOIU), Office of the Minister of Education, Adebayo Onigbanjo disclosed on Monday in Abuja at a pre-event press briefing ahead of the unveiling.

He hinged the decision on the need to build a reliable database across the education sector, which can be leveraged on to advance education delivery in the country..

Corroborating Onigbanjo, Saka Ibraheem, Education Specialist, Planning, Monitoring, Data and Research at UNICEF, said the initiative was to birth a singular system for education programmes.

“Before next year, we hope to have the Education Management Information System (EMIS), Teacher Management Information System (TMIS) and individual records in one system.

“One system for education and one system for Nigeria,” he said.

He added that the system would have a unique identifier to monitor the number of students in school and the number of students out of school.

He said the essence was to avoid drop out across schools in the country.

Meanwhile, Onigbanjo hinted that the initiative was a key component of the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), being implemented under the leadership of the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa.

He said the ministry had prioritised education data as a strategic national asset to improve governance, accountability and evidence-based decision-making.

“For many years, education planning and administration relied on fragmented systems, inconsistent reporting processes and limited access to reliable and timely data.

“These challenges constrained effective planning, weakened accountability and limited the sector’s ability to respond to emerging realities,” he said.

According to Onigbanjo, the concept developed under the Nigeria Education Data Infrastructure (NEDI) is meant to coordinate, standardise and strengthen education data management across all levels of education.

“DNEMIS is a flagship component of NEDI designed to provide timely, reliable and accessible information to support planning, policymaking, budgeting, monitoring and service delivery,” he stated.

He added that the platform would ensure that every learner, school, teacher and education investment was captured within a system that supports evidence-based decisions.

“The progress recorded through NEDI and the implementation of DNEMIS reflects the ministry’s broader commitment to ensuring that reforms are not only announced but effectively coordinated, implemented and measured.

“Data is no longer a back-office function. It is becoming the engine of education reform in Nigeria,” Onigbanjo said.

Also speaking, the Special Assistant to the Minister on Digital Communications and E-Learning, Miss Mojoyin Adebajo, described DNEMIS as a major milestone in Nigeria’s digital education transformation.

Adebajo said the platform would digitise the Annual School Census process and provide the government with timely information to support planning, budgeting, policymaking and improved service delivery.

She explained that the portal would, for the first time, make selected official education data publicly accessible through an interactive platform.

According to her, the portal will enable government institutions, researchers, development partners, civil society organisations, the private sector, journalists and members of the public to access and engage with education information.

“This represents an important step toward expanding access to information and encouraging broader participation in conversations that shape the future of education in Nigeria,” she said.

She added that the ministry remained committed to leveraging technology and innovation to strengthen education governance and improve learning outcomes across the country.

The NEDI Coordinator, Abubakar Isah, said the ministry had taken adequate measures to comply with the data protection of the country to ensure that data is safe.