The Federal Government (FG) is set to unveil a nationwide digital education platform designed to capture real-time data on every school, learner, teacher and public investment in Nigeria’s education sector, in a move aimed at transforming planning, policymaking and service delivery.
The platform, known as the Digital National Education Management Information System (DNEMIS), will be formally launched on Wednesday alongside the Public DNEMIS Portal and the inauguration of State Implementation Teams.
Officials say the initiative is intended to address longstanding challenges associated with fragmented education data systems that have hampered effective governance, budgeting and resource allocation across the sector.
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Speaking during a pre-launch media briefing in Abuja on Monday, the National Project Coordinator of the Special Programmes Operations and Implementation Unit in the Office of the Minister of Education, Adebayo Onigbanjo, said Nigeria’s education system had for years relied on inconsistent reporting structures and outdated methods of data collection.
“For many years, education planning and administration relied on fragmented systems, inconsistent reporting structures and limited access to reliable and timely data. These challenges constrained effective planning, weakened accountability and limited the sector’s ability to respond to emerging realities,” Onigbanjo said.
According to him, the Federal Ministry of Education developed the Nigeria Education Data Infrastructure (NEDI) as a framework for standardising, coordinating and strengthening education data management across all levels.
“At the centre of this transformation is DNEMIS, a flagship component of NEDI and a major milestone in Nigeria’s journey toward a modern, integrated and digitally enabled education management system,” he stated.
Onigbanjo explained that the platform would provide timely and reliable information to support planning, budgeting, monitoring, policymaking and service delivery while ensuring that schools, learners, teachers and public investments are documented within a unified national database.
He stressed that the initiative reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to making education reforms evidence-driven.
“The progress recorded through NEDI and the implementation of DNEMIS reflects the Ministry’s broader commitment to ensuring that reforms are not only announced, but effectively coordinated, implemented and measured,” he said.
“Data is no longer a back-office function. It is becoming the engine of education reform in Nigeria.”
Also speaking, Special Assistant to the Minister of Education on Digital Communications and E-Learning, Mojoyin Adebajo, disclosed that the system was built using the globally recognised District Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2) platform.
She said DNEMIS would digitise the Annual School Census process, replacing largely manual procedures with a more integrated and technology-driven approach.
“By digitising the Annual School Census process, the platform will provide government with timely, reliable and accessible education data to support planning, budgeting, policymaking and improved service delivery across Nigeria’s education system,” she said.
According to Adebajo, the Public DNEMIS Portal will also make selected official education statistics available to researchers, journalists, civil society organisations, development partners and members of the public.
“This represents an important step toward expanding access to information and encouraging broader participation in conversations that shape the future of education in Nigeria,” she added.
Officials acknowledged technical support from UNICEF and the University of Oslo in the development of the initiative.
Nigeria’s education sector has historically struggled with weak and fragmented data systems, with information relating to enrolment, school infrastructure, teacher deployment and learning outcomes often gathered through manual and disconnected processes.
Education experts have repeatedly advocated the creation of a comprehensive national database capable of improving transparency, accountability and coordination among federal and state institutions.
The introduction of DNEMIS, a core component of NEDI, is expected to support the broader Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative being championed by Education Minister Maruf Tunji Alausa.
