MoE launches software to be rid of paper-based record keeping, track trends in educational institutions

…dubbed “the future of education”

In a revolutionary move regarded as the “future of education” in Guyana, the Education Ministry on Monday launched its Education Management Information System (EMIS).
Private and public schools and other institutions within the education sector will have access to a secure database, allowing for a comprehensive range of tools for record-keeping and management of data.

With over 1500 public and private schools, teaching instruction centres, regional departments, and practical instruction centres in the system, the cumbersome process of storing and accessing data is now available at the fingertips of stakeholders.
In schools, this mechanism will eliminate paper-based record keeping, which is not only bulky but time-consuming. Attendance, performance, and other relevant information can be recorded and using data analytics, the Ministry will be able to identify trends and make informed policy decisions.

Informed decisions
At the launch at the Pegasus Corporate Suites, Chief Education Officer (CEO) Saddam Hussain hailed the new system as one that will allow policymakers and administrators to make informed decisions based on evidence, rather than intuition.
With centralised data, administrative tasks such as student enrolment, attendance tracking, and evaluating performance categories, the Ministry can ensure better accountability at all levels while identifying gaps and disparities in the education system.
Educators can address specific needs and adaptive teaching methodologies, therefore creating a more personalised learning experience, and improving outcomes and retention rates.
“This is perhaps the most significant thing which will happen, which is happening for maybe the last 30 years…a very, very new future in Guyana’s education system,” Hussain relayed.

Integrated system
Meanwhile, Chief Planning Officer, Nicola Johnson shared that it is not a standalone system; it can be integrated with other national systems, such as health and social services, creating a holistic approach to child development.
“Whether it’s the shortage of resources in a district, or lack of qualified teachers, EMIS can help us pinpoint and address these issues, ensuring every day needs to receive a quality education, thereby enabling us to address equity in the system.”
Johnson further added, “Beyond the logistics and data lies the whole reason we should embrace EMIS. And that’s our children. It’s about equipping them with the best possible resources ensuring that they have the opportunity to succeed and thrive. Implementing EMIS is not just a step forward. It is a leap into a new era of excellence.”

Executive Director of the Community Systems Foundation (CSF), Jon Kapp added that these tools support better collection, management, and use of education data. Around the world, EMIS has proven useful in many countries within the Asian, African, Middle Eastern and Pacific regions.
Kapp shared, “The idea was to create a modern enough solution that could be used by any country in any language with any education system driven by the idea that data was at the centre of decision-making in the classroom…OpenEMIS went through a global evaluation in 2020 and I’m very proud to say that in 2023, we’re expanding to partnerships in new governance models and new ways of community engagement. Looking forward to the future, OpenEMIS version four will be released in early 2024, to the benefit of all members of the community, including Guyana.”

Absenteeism
More than bringing ease to data monitoring in the sector is the ability of EMIS to address social issues such as dropouts and absenteeism in classrooms. A digital attendance register for each student and teacher is linked to a risk module, alerting the Welfare Department if a student has not shown up to class for a long period of time.
Education Minister Priya Manickchand related that the Ministry will be able to nip such issues in the bud and extend to address absenteeism of teachers as well.
“We saw large numbers of children not turning up for the mock exams in Grade Six level and we only were able to collect that nationally, from the checking and tracking to see who didn’t turn up rather than being able to log into a classroom to see where we have large absences and how we could address those effectively,” she expressed at the launch.
“We should know immediately who was absent on any given day. We should know immediately which teacher needs to be disciplined for being absent all the time. We should know immediately which teachers are teaching because the systems are there…Putting technology into your hands doesn’t change the circumstance; it’s not going to change the landscape. How we use that, how we implement it, how dedicated we become to making sure this works is what is going to change the system,” the Minister added.
Looking at the implementation phase, the senior Minister called for teachers to embrace this change and ride the wave of current technological advancements.
“I truly want this to be such an integrated system that it’s not piloted anywhere. It is in every school, every learning institution, every education district, every department, NCERD available to everyone who wants track or determined how service can be improved using numbers.”

Vacancies
Great potential exists for this system to be integrated into that of the Teaching Service Commission to assist with the promotion of teachers. Secretary, Ray Bassoo asserted that the EMIS can improve accuracy by filling positions from an accurate vacancy list since it is difficult to garner data from riverine communities.
Minister Manickchand was keen to note that many times, Head Teachers do not provide accurate information on the vacancies that exists, resulting in classrooms without teachers.
“Even within the schools, teachers, Head Teachers and administrators do not know where there are vacancies. Yet children and parents will tell you, their children aren’t being taught because they didn’t calculate accurately the number of teachers they needed in those schools.” (Rupa Seenaraine).