The Ministry of Education (MoE) yesterday launched its Education Management Information System (EMIS) which it says promises to be a game-changer.
The main function of the software will be to store key information about students and will enable teachers and education officers to efficiently manage data therein.
In delivering her keynote speech at the launch, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand noted that EMIS will assist in resource planning as well as help to reduce the number of early school leavers.
“I truly want this to be such an integrated system that it’s not piloted anywhere. It is in every school, every learning institution, every education district, and every department available to everyone who wants to track or determine how service can be improved by using numbers”, she said.
A press release from the MOE pointed out that EMIS is a fully integrated system which will be made available to both public and private schools. The release also stated that a total of 1,573 educational institutions are already registered in the system.
Senior Statistician in the MOE’s Planning Unit, Dahvis Caldeira informed the gathering at the launch that the software stores such data as enrollment information, transfer requests, attendance, grades, end-of-year processing, a class portal, teacher web pages, a parent portal, teacher information and timetables.
According to the Chief Planning Officer of the MoE, Nicola Johnson, EMIS will serve to enhance accountability and this in turn will empower teachers and administrators to make informed decisions. With the rapidly changing digital age, Johnson noted, technology is being used to advance the system. She further noted that the software will help to address gaps within the education system and ensure access to quality education for all Guyanese.
Manickchand urged educators who made a physical or virtual appearance at the launch to get acquainted with the system. Chief Education Officer, Mohamed Saddam Hussain was also present, and he noted that the software marks the “new future” of the country’s education system.
The launch took place at the Pegasus Corporate Suites.
