THE Ondo State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology recently took a firm stand on the upload of pupils’ and students’ data into the Digital National Education Management Information System (DNEMIS) portal warning that defaulting schools would face serious sanctions.
THE DNEMIS initiative is in line with the broader objectives of the World Bank-supported HOPE-GOV and HOPE-EDU programmes aimed at building a technology-driven and globally competitive education system in Ondo State. It was designed to capture vital information on schools, enrolment, infrastructure, staffing, facilities, learners, digital readiness and other key indicators required for effective educational planning and national reporting.
ACCORDING to the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun, Ondo State is expected to attain over 95 per cent compliance in data entry across all schools to qualify for critical funding support, grants, technical assistance and intervention programmes from the World Bank and other international development partners.
THE Commissioner disclosed that the World Bank is providing over $500 million to Nigeria, and only states that meet the required standards in terms of information on their school systems, health systems and governance would be able to access these funds.
THE data will also help to determine the number of out-of-school children, monitor developments in the education system and compare data across different years to observe trends.
UPON enrolment, each student or pupil is assigned a Learner Identification Number (LIN), which qualifies the learner to access all the benefits available under the programme.
EARLY in the year, the ministry organised training for officers from schools across the 18 local government areas of the state on how to guide their pupils and students through the enrolment process. The ministry had also met with critical stakeholders to sensitise them to the exercise.
INITIALLY, the deadline for Ondo State, alongside other states, to comply with the data entry requirement by attaining a minimum of 95 per cent enrolment was June 30, 2026. Unfortunately, by the time the deadline elapsed, the state had recorded only 25 per cent enrolment. That necessitated the firm stance of the Ministry of Education, even as the deadline was extended by a few weeks.
THE HOPE commends the Federal Government for coming up with an initiative like this. We also laud the Ondo State Government for keying into it and for demonstrating commitment to its successful implementation.
THE HOPE also acknowledges that the DNEMIS programme is a major step towards establishing a reliable framework for educational data management in Ondo State. Apart from instilling discipline in students and reducing absenteeism, an initiative of this nature would provide reliable statistics for planning, monitoring and policy formulation, while also ensuring that every learner is properly identified and documented within the education system.
THE HOPE also acknowledges that, aside from providing sufficient information about learners nationwide, this programme offers several other enormous benefits. For example, the grants that states stand to receive from it will provide a significant boost to education funding and, ultimately, infrastructural and other forms of development in schools across the country.
THE HOPE urges parents and school administrators to cooperate with the government by keying into this laudable programme, especially private school owners, who have been found to constitute the majority of the defaulters. In line with this, we recommend that the Ministry of Education and other agencies in the education sector should thoroughly monitor schools across the state to ensure compliance. Likewise, they should embark on more aggressive sensitisation of school owners and parents on the benefits of participating in the data entry exercise.
WHILE noting that addressing the menace of out-of-school children is one of the reasons behind this data capture programme, THE Hope calls on the government to explore other options such as a clock-in/clock-out system to monitor the movement of pupils and students. Likewise, guidance and counselling units in schools should be strengthened, while teachers should endeavour to serve as worthy role models for the schoolchildren under their care.