The Ministry of Education will be introducing an Education Management Information System (EMIS) in the primary and secondary schools on island, to facilitate better education strategic decision making, planning and for the general management and storage of educational data and information.
A new release from the Government Information Unit, said the ministry “is currently installing the EMIS Hardware and Software across the public schools as part of an initiative funded by the European Union’s RESEMBID Project. The initiative emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic which highlighted systemic challenges in the education sector on Montserrat. Most notably the delayed implementation of ICT into the teaching and learning practice and absence of key hardware and software tools that could assist with the management of school data/operations.”
Director of Education, Dr. Gregory Julius noted the importance of introducing this EMIS to foster improvements in the education system on Montserrat.
“Student information isn’t the full picture, but rather an important aspect of our schools’ school mandate. Whenever data is efficiently collected, managed, and applied, prospects arise that brand the whole education system as a successful enterprise,” expressed Dr. Julius.
With the roll out of this EMIS, the Ministry of Education is expected to be able to adequately answer questions about students’ learning and attendance, the accountability and management systems at the schools, the efficient allocation of resources including teachers being equipped with professional Development training programmes and can answer questions pertaining to parents and stakeholders being able to readily access data.
IT Technician, Denfield Morris welcomed the introduction of the system. “As an IT educator, I am excited about the integration of this cutting-edge EMIS system into our schools. It will not only modernize our administrative processes but also provide teachers with the tools necessary to manage student data more efficiently and focus more on delivering quality education,” stated Mr. Morris.
An effective EMIS provides systematic, quality, timely data, driving efficiency and evidence-based decision making. When implemented effectively, EMIS is linked to higher student achievement and stronger education systems.
The EMIS is expected to be fully implemented in the new year (2025).
