By Kwin Israel, The Sight News
The Federal Government has assured Nigerians that the newly launched Digital National Education Information Management System (DNEMIS) is designed to be sustainable and will serve as a transformative tool for education planning, student tracking, and policy implementation across the country.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, while responding to questions at a media engagement during the launch of the platform in Abuja on Wednesday, alongside officials of the Ministry, said the initiative represents the first time in Nigeria’s history that education data from schools nationwide would be available on a digitised, near real-time platform.
The Minister explained that DNEMIS was created as a “single source of truth” for education data collection and management, consolidating information from the annual school census and providing comprehensive data on schools, students, infrastructure, and educational outcomes.
According to him, the platform captures information on students, classrooms, computers, laboratories, water and sanitation facilities, and other critical infrastructure needed for effective planning and resource allocation.
He disclosed that approximately 240,000 schools across Nigeria, including pre-primary, primary, junior and senior secondary schools, technical colleges, and privately-owned institutions, have already been mapped, geotagged, and assigned unique identification numbers on the platform.
A major innovation of the system, he said, is the introduction of a unique Learner Identification Number (LIN) for every student in the country.
“The learner identification number is unique to every student and follows the child from primary school through secondary school and into tertiary education and eventually to the National Youth Service Corps. It enables us to monitor the educational journey of every child and intervene where necessary,” he said.
The Minister noted that the LIN would also support the government’s social safety net programmes by helping authorities identify students who drop out of school and take proactive measures to return them to the classroom.
He lamented the country’s high number of out-of-school children and stressed that the new system would provide the government with the tools required to tackle the challenge more effectively.
“We cannot continue to allow the circumstances that created the huge number of out-of-school children in the country. We must proactively intervene, identify those dropping out, understand why they are leaving school, and get them back into the education system,” he stated.
The Minister further explained that annual school census data had previously been collected manually, resulting in significant delays.
“In the past, data collection was paper-based. By the time information from millions of pupils was collated, the results might not become available for two or three years. Today, for the first time, we have almost real-time access to education data,” he said.
He emphasised that the platform was not created merely for data collection but to drive evidence-based governance and informed decision-making.
The data, he said, would be available at school, local government, state, and national levels, enabling policymakers to plan effectively, identify gaps, and mobilise resources where they are most needed.
Addressing concerns about the sustainability of the platform, the Minister explained that the annual school census has been part of Nigeria’s education policy framework for over 16 years and that DNEMIS simply digitises and modernises the process.
He disclosed that while development partners, particularly UNICEF, supported the development of the platform, the Federal Government also invested substantial resources in the initiative.
According to him, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has further guaranteed the sustainability of the system by providing dedicated funding support for Nigeria’s education data infrastructure.
“The President has been extremely supportive of education reforms and has provided the necessary financial backing to ensure that our education data infrastructure, of which DNEMIS is a critical component, remains sustainable,” he said.
The Minister also linked DNEMIS to the broader Nigeria Education Data Infrastructure (NEDI), which integrates data from key education agencies and institutions, including the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the National Examinations Council (NECO), universities, and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
He explained that the integrated platform would enable the government to track students from basic education to graduation and even assess employment trends and labour market demands.
The second phase of the initiative, he revealed, would include labour market analytics to guide students on career choices and provide insights into employment opportunities and skills demands.
“This will help Nigerians make informed decisions about courses of study and ultimately contribute to reducing unemployment in the country,” he added.
Responding to concerns about electricity and internet connectivity, especially in rural communities, the Minister assured that the platform had been designed to function both online and offline.
“Connectivity is not a problem. The system was deliberately designed to operate in both online and offline modes to ensure sustainability and accessibility, even in areas with limited internet access,” he said.
He further disclosed that the government was building digital learning centres in schools across the country to support the effective implementation of its digital education initiatives.
The Minister also welcomed the participation of young Nigerians and stakeholders in the implementation of the programme, noting that collaboration and partnerships would be critical to the success of the initiative.
He described the launch of DNEMIS as a historic milestone that would strengthen planning, improve transparency, enhance educational outcomes, and accelerate the country’s transition to a data-driven education system.
