Sierra Leone

The annual school census (ASC) is the primary source of EMIS data for the Sierra Leonean education sector. The EMIS data, which is collected using hard copy questionnaires from schools, is captured on Android devices by district enumerators and relayed onto a central system that is managed by the EMIS unit in the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) Planning Directorate. The ASC data is analyzed using Microsoft Excel and other statistical analysis packages and presented in the statistical yearbooks that are printed and disseminated to various stakeholders within the education sector. In addition, data collected by other actors within the education system is neither linked nor readily available to the MBSSE Directorate of Policy and Planning database to support comprehensive analysis and use for evidence-based decision-making. 

In the GPE KIX project, DHIS2 will be used as a central repository for annual census data from SurveyCTO and additional EMIS data collected by other software such as Tangerine and RapidPro. The project centers around two districts of excellence using DHIS2 as a subnational analytical tool to promote data dissemination and use. Within the research project, a Sierra Leonean PhD student will work with stakeholders at the district level, including traditional leaders and civil society, to identify mechanisms for sustained data use for inclusive education.