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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Private school proprietors have expressed concerns about registering learners on the Education Management Information System (EMIS) due to fears of data misuse. Lawrence Kulumba from Boston High School in Entebbe states that many private school owners fear the government might misuse the data collected for taxation purposes. The information collected includes details on learners, teachers, infrastructure, and non-teaching staff.
Teachers also raised concerns that since EMIS registration requires data from parents, some parents refuse to provide information, leading to low data uploads on the portal. Additionally, some schools operate without registration by the Ministry of Education and Sports, further slowing the uptake of EMIS. Vincent Ssozi, the Assistant Commissioner representing the Commissioner for Planning at the Ministry of Education and Sports, acknowledged the low response rate from private schools to EMIS.
Speaking at a workshop, he noted that the ministry organized a sensitization engagement with private schools and their representative institutions to formulate strategies to increase EMIS uptake and boost data uploads. During the workshop, the ministry aimed to educate foundation bodies, associations, and private school owners about the benefits of EMIS and demonstrate how the portal functions.
Ssozi highlighted that the system could help private school owners track learners who default on school fees and move to different institutions. Advanced features of EMIS allow head teachers to flag learners who default on fees, making it difficult for them to obtain UNEB results, thus ensuring proper resource management.
Minister of State for Primary Education Joyce Moriko Kaduchu, addressing teachers and school proprietors at the ICT Hub in Nakawa, mentioned a significant transformation within the Ministry of Education and other government departments, shifting from paper to digital systems. She emphasized the importance of sensitization across all government agencies on the significance of embracing digital systems like EMIS.
Kaduchu highlighted that the Ministry of Education rolled out EMIS in September of the previous year and stressed the collective responsibility of education sector stakeholders to enhance EMIS implementation. The ministry partnered with the Ministry of Information Technology to redevelop EMIS and issued guidelines and reforms to local governments and teaching institutions.
The minister warned that the allocation of government capitation grants to schools would depend on the effective use of EMIS, aiding the government in better planning and resource allocation. She noted that 99 percent of government schools had uploaded learner data to EMIS as of May 2024. However, only 30,519 out of 60,529 private schools (50 percent) had done so.
The minister appealed to private proprietors to adhere to the liberal policy allowing private institutions to operate and to comply with systems, policies, and guidelines set by the Ministry of Education and Sports.
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