Kogi State is moving to create a comprehensive digital database for schools and students as part of efforts to improve education planning, funding and policy implementation.
At the heart of the initiative is the Federal Government's Digital Nigeria Education Management Information System (DNEMIS), a platform that will assign every school a unique 10-digit identification number and every learner a Learner Identification Number (LIN) linked to WAEC and NECO records.
The digital transition dominated a stakeholders' meeting in Lokoja on Monday ahead of the 2025/2026 Annual School Census, which begins on June 24.
For the Kogi State Government, the exercise is about more than gathering statistics as accurate data is critical to determining where schools are needed, how resources are distributed and how education investments are measured.
Commissioner for Education Wemi Jones said every learner must possess a LIN to access government education incentives, describing the census as a key tool for evidence-based decision-making.
He also praised Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo for sustaining a 30 per cent annual budget allocation to education, noting that the state commits substantial resources to school renovations, infrastructure projects, examination fees and teachers' salaries.
According to Jones, inaccurate or incomplete submissions could leave the state under-represented in national education records, undermining planning and funding projections.
The push for reliable data received strong backing from stakeholders at the meeting, which brought together education agencies, NGOs, media practitioners, religious leaders, former commissioners and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
Former Commissioner for Education Rosemary Osikoya said poor record-keeping remains a major challenge across parts of the sector, particularly among some private schools and operators of non-formal and skills acquisition centres.
"If we really want money allocated to education, it has to be substantiated by data. When education data is accurate, planning becomes effective," she said.
Ambassador Idris Muraina of the Kogi NGO Network described data as "the lifeline of any development," while DCC Ekigwe Raymond of the NSCDC called for stronger collaboration between school authorities, communities and security agencies to safeguard schools.
Representatives of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools and the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools commended the ministry for involving private institutions in education policy discussions.
Permanent Secretary Albert Alabi stressed the need for quality data, while Director of Educational Planning, Research and Statistics, Animoku Elizabeth identified incomplete submissions, low participation and fears of taxation as some of the hurdles confronting the census.
She clarified that the exercise is strictly for planning, research and policy formulation, not taxation.
To drive participation, the ministry will begin training school data officers in Lokoja before advocacy meetings in Kabba on June 19, Okene on June 22 and Anyigba on June 23.
The census officially begins on June 24, marking what education stakeholders see as a decisive shift towards data-driven governance in Kogi's education sector.
No comments:
Post a Comment