UNICEF and the Kaduna State Government have launched a training programme to equip teachers with digital skills for the Education Management Information System (EMIS).
The initiative, part of the Reaching Out-of-School Children project, targets the digitalisation of records in over 8,000 public schools. It aims to improve data handling, boost transparency, and enhance overall educational outcomes across the state.
The programme is being rolled out simultaneously across all the 23 local government areas of the state.
Speaking during the training on Friday in Kaduna, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Malam Rabiu Yunusa, emphasised the importance of accurate data in educational planning.
He stated that empowering head teachers to input reliable school data was crucial.
According to him, it is critical to the government’s ability to design and implement effective educational policies, track students’ performances, and measure the success of various initiatives particularly in reaching children currently out of school.
He reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to supporting the project in every possible way to ensure its success.
Also speaking, UNICEF Education Officer, Kaduna Field Office, Mr Bala Dada, said that the training would improve data accessibility across the education sector in the state.
This, Dada said, would, enable more informed decision-making and better resource allocation.
He also stated that the initiative was especially timely, aligning with the recent commemoration of the International Day of the African Child, with this year’s focus on strategic planning.
“Without accurate data, planning becomes impossible,” Dada said.
The Deputy Project Coordinator of the Reaching Out-of-School Children initiative, Mr Hassan Abdul, stated that the goal was to establish a comprehensive database containing vital information about all public schools in the state.
This, he explained, would be instrumental in supporting effective planning and targeted resource distribution by the government.
One of the participants, Mrs Gloria Simon from Government Senior Secondary School, Television-Kaduna, expressed her enthusiasm about the programme.
She described the training as an eye-opener for the teachers, adding that it would significantly ease their workloads and improve school administration.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the project is coordinated by UNICEF and funded by the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and the Korea Fund for Economic and Social Development (KFEW).
