MEMIS Analyst Trainings

Education planners and data analysts in the Maldives are seeking to deliver high quality education through data analytics. From 15 July to 2 August 2018, 12 participants gathered in Male’ City for the Maldives Education Management Information System (MEMIS) Analyst Trainings. Trainings were held to assist Ministry of Education (MoE) staff with OpenEMIS reporting tools and visualization techniques. Having started the MEMIS initiative in 2015, the MoE is now seeking to strengthen their skills and abilities to fully utilize tools to analyze collected data.

Following nationwide implementation of OpenEMIS, “the Maldives ensured that all Ministry of Education (MoE) staff from the national level to the school level are able to independently navigate the functionalities of MEMIS.”[1] While the Maldives has been able to produce key indicators by using data collected from MEMIS, prior to the trainings, there was limited capacity for analysis and the creation of evidence-based dashboards.

By working with MEMIS experts and OpenEMIS Technical Support Staff, the Analyst Trainings successfully expanded participants’ knowledge of planning, monitoring and education analytics. Technical assistance also helped guide analysts to better understand and utilize education indicators.

Following the trainings, participants reflected on their experiences. Recognizing the week as an important step to increase nationwide analytical capacity, attendees stated that the OpenEMIS toolkit has enabled the Ministry to independently produce indicators and develop dashboards. Through a hands-on approach, attendees also noted that they better appreciated data visualizations that can inform education decision-making.

In an effort to support the country’s vision for education reform, trained staff will assist the Ministry in the monitoring of the Education Sector Plan 2018-2022.  In addition, data analysts will be better placed to contribute to the comprehensive Education Sector Analysis (ESA) – a key step in the application for participation in the Global Partnership for Education (GPE).

By undergoing the MEMIS Analyst Trainings, a capacity gap has been filled and the MoE is better placed to ensure all students are receiving and quality, equitable education to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.

[1] UNESCO Education Sector. 2018. Re-orienting Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) towards inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning. Retrieved from: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/Ulis/cgi-bin/ulis.pl?catno=261943&set=005AE7ACBC_2_144&gp=&lin=1&ll=1