Capacity Strengthening & Communities of Practice
The sustainability of DHIS2 for Education is supported local and regional DHIS2 capacity building and the support of the global DHIS2 Community of Practice.
Building capacity for sustainable, locally owned systems
The HISP approach to implementation support centers on strengthening local capacity with the end goal of enabling real local ownership of information systems. HISP UiO coordinates our global work on capacity building—including designing DHIS2 Academy curricula, documentation and other informational and training materials—and builds HISP group capacity on specialized topics. At the same time, HISP groups build and reinforce country capacity by providing regional Academy and in-country training, and offering hands-on learning through an apprenticeship model, instead of simply providing technical support. The HISP groups’ sustained engagement as long-term partners of the Ministry of Health helps move countries along the maturity path: Countries using DHIS2 are not simply deploying DHIS2 as a product, but building local access to data and the ability to use it.
Our capacity strengthening approach has several key components:
- The DHIS2 Academy program builds country and regional capacity on key DHIS2 skills and provides a platform for cross-border sharing of experiences and best practices through in-person and online courses. More than 12,000 participants from over 110 countries have taken in-person DHIS2 Academies, and more than 70,000 have enrolled in our DHIS2 Online Academy courses.
- Direct country support by HISP groups working with local DHIS2 core teams through long-term partnerships for technical assistance through an apprenticeship model reinforces country capacity, building and sustaining local capacity and country ownership over time.
- The HISP PhD program at UiOÂ has graduated 72 PhD scholars to date, the majority of which are from the Global South, and several of whom now lead HISP groups.
- Postgraduate academic programs at UiOÂ in Informatics and Digitalization in the Health Sector support information systems research.
- Networks of academic training and research through MA programs with universities in Africa and Asia, coordinated in partnership with HISP, foster IT capacity, and support knowledge and innovation sharing.
- The DHIS2 Community of Practice is an online forum coordinated by HISP UiO where DHIS2 experts from around the world share experiences and innovations and provide support, helping build capacity across borders.
In the sections below, you can learn about HISP’s capacity building resources for DHIS2 for Education.
DHIS2 Academy: Building DHIS2 skills with in-person and online courses
The DHIS2 Academy program aims to strengthen national and regional capacity to successfully design, implement, maintain and customize sustainable, locally-owned DHIS2 systems. Through a combination of online courses and intensive in-person training—that includes both theoretical and practical sessions—you will become a DHIS2 expert ready to support your organization’s data collection, analysis, and reporting needs using DHIS2.
Our program provides an understanding of the available DHIS2 tools and best practices, and is regularly updated to include new concepts, program areas, and system features. Some key courses for DHIS2 for Education are:
- Introduction to DHIS2: Learn the basics of the DHIS2 platform in our free online course—available in English, French, and Spanish.
- Data Entry, Analysis, and Configuration courses: Start with free Online Academy courses to master the basics, then progress to more advanced in-person training.
- Planning & Budgeting DHIS2 Systems: For project managers and other key stakeholders, this free online course will help you plan your DHIS2 for Education project.
DHIS2 video library: Informational videos & training resources
Discover how the DHIS2 platform can be deployed as an education management information system (EMIS) to collect and analyze data related to students and teachers, infrastructure, service provision, and more through the collection of videos in our YouTube playlist. You can also view these additional playlists for user training videos:
- SEMIS app user training: This collection of instructional videos, created by members of our global HISP network, gives step-by-step instructions for navigating key features of the DHIS2-powered SEMIS app for student, staff, and school management. Watch on YouTube
- EMIS end user training: This set of videos, produced by HISP Uganda for the Ministry of Education’s DHIS2-based DEMIS system, gives instructions on how to enter data and create data visualizations for aggregate education data. Watch on YouTube
DHIS2 Community of Practice: Sharing knowledge & innovations worldwide
The DHIS2 Community of Practice is a global network of professionals, educators, and organizations dedicated to sharing knowledge, best practices, and innovative solutions for DHIS2 across a large variety of sectors, including education systems. By connecting users across diverse regions and contexts, the community fosters collaboration, providing a platform for discussion, peer support, and access to a wealth of resources. This community offers invaluable opportunities to learn from real-world implementations, seek guidance from experts, and contribute to the continuous improvement of DHIS2 tools and methodologies. Together, the members of this community help drive the DHIS2 for Education project, leveraging data to improve education programs.
