The Federal Government on Wednesday launched the Digitalised Nigeria Education Management Information System (DNEMIS), declaring that reliable data will become the driving force behind education reforms, better planning and improved learning outcomes across Nigeria.
Speaking at the official unveiling of the platform in Abuja, the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, said the digital platform marks a major milestone in the Federal Government's efforts to build an education system where policies, investments and interventions are guided by accurate and real-time information.
Describing credible data as the backbone of national development, the Minister said governments cannot effectively tackle the country's education challenges without reliable statistics.
"You have to get the data right. Data allows us to monitor, design interventions, evaluate outcomes and plan proactively for the future. Without accurate data, meaningful development is impossible," Alausa said.
He explained that DNEMIS is designed to serve as Nigeria's central repository for education data, bringing together real-time information on schools, learners, teachers, classrooms, computer laboratories, electricity, water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, as well as other infrastructure needed for effective planning and resource allocation.
According to him, the platform will enable governments at all levels to identify infrastructure gaps, deploy teachers more efficiently, monitor enrolment trends and direct investments to communities where they are needed most.
The Minister disclosed that Nigeria currently has 213,235 schools, with 124,548 already captured on the platform, representing a 58.4 per cent reporting rate. He added that DNEMIS has so far documented more than 40 million learners, 1.19 million teachers, over 730,000 classrooms and more than 607,000 toilet facilities, providing the most comprehensive picture yet of the country's education landscape.
Calling for wider participation, Alausa urged state governments, Local Government Education Authorities and private school proprietors to ensure that every school is registered on the platform.
He reassured private school owners that the exercise is not intended to increase taxes but to ensure that national education statistics accurately reflect the realities across both public and private institutions.
"We recognise the vital role private schools play in expanding access to education. We need every school to be part of this system because effective planning depends on complete and reliable data," he said.
The Minister also acknowledged the contributions of the World Bank, the European Union, the Government of Norway, UNICEF and other development partners, noting that their technical and financial support helped accelerate the successful implementation of the project after initial delays.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Prince Semiu Adeyemi Adeniran, described the launch of DNEMIS as a significant step towards establishing a single, trusted source of education data for the country.
He announced that the Bureau would integrate its statistical systems with the Ministry of Education's platform to improve education planning, policy implementation and monitoring.
"We just want one true source of data for education, and we are going to link the NBS platform with the Ministry's system so we can produce and disseminate reliable education statistics with wider national coverage," Adeniran said.
He further disclosed that the NBS would support the initiative by mapping out-of-school children through household surveys and deploying its Small Area Estimation data to validate information generated through the platform, thereby strengthening the credibility of education statistics nationwide.
With the launch of DNEMIS, the Federal Government believes Nigeria now has the digital infrastructure required to support evidence-based policymaking, strengthen accountability and improve education outcomes, while giving decision-makers at every level access to the reliable information needed to build a stronger and more inclusive education system.
ADENIJI SAMUEL
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