Abuja: The Federal Ministry of Education announced that it will officially unveil the Digital National Education Management Information System (DNEMIS) on July 1, aimed at strengthening education planning, governance, and service delivery through reliable data. Mr. Adebayo Onigbanjo, the National Project Coordinator, Special Programmes Operations and Implementation Unit (SPOIU), Office of the Minister of Education, made this known during a news conference in Abuja ahead of the unveiling.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the initiative is a key component of the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), implemented under the leadership of the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa. The ministry has prioritized education data as a strategic national asset to improve governance, accountability, and evidence-based decision-making. Onigbanjo highlighted that for many years, education planning and administration relied on fragmented systems, inconsistent reporting processes, and limited access to reliable and timely data, which constrained effective planning and weakened accountability.
He explained that the ministry developed the Nigeria Education Data Infrastructure (NEDI) to coordinate, standardize, and strengthen education data management across all levels of education. DNEMIS, a flagship component of NEDI, is designed to provide timely, reliable, and accessible information to support planning, policymaking, budgeting, monitoring, and service delivery. Onigbanjo added that the platform would ensure every learner, school, teacher, and education investment is captured in a system supporting evidence-based decision-making.
Also speaking, the Special Assistant to the Minister on Digital Communications and E-Learning, Ms. Mojoyin Adebajo, stated that DNEMIS marked a major milestone in Nigeria’s digital education transformation. She noted that the platform would digitize the Annual School Census process and provide the government with timely information to support planning, budgeting, policymaking, and improved service delivery. The portal will, for the first time, make selected official education data publicly accessible through an interactive platform.
According to Adebajo, the portal would enable government institutions, researchers, development partners, civil society organizations, the private sector, journalists, and the public to access and engage with education information. This represents an important step towards expanding access to information and encouraging broader participation in conversations shaping the future of education in Nigeria. She added that the ministry remains committed to leveraging technology and innovation to strengthen education governance and improve learning outcomes across the country.
The NEDI Coordinator, Abubakar Isah, assured that adequate measures have been taken to ensure compliance with Nigeria’s data protection laws and safeguard education data. Saka Ibraheem, Education Specialist, Planning, Monitoring, Data, and Research at UNICEF, emphasized the goal of integrating all education management platforms into a single system. He noted that before next year, they aim to have the Education Management Information System (EMIS), Teacher Management Information System (TMIS), and individual learner records in one system, providing a unique identifier to track school enrollment and out-of-school children across the country. This integrated system will help reduce school dropouts by enabling seamless tracking of learners as they move through the education system.