Togo: Empowering Schools and Districts with Data
In this blog post, we hear from Terje Aksel Sanner from the University of Oslo with contributions from Kossi Kpomengi Tsali, Komi Dometo Gbokpa and Efoe Gbeteglo from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education of Togo, who offer their insights and learnings on how to foster a culture of data-driven decision-making, highlighting GPE KIX applied research uptake and outcomes in Togo.
Data is more than just numbers—it’s a powerful tool for decision-making, innovation, and systemic improvement. Last December, at the 5th GPE KIX Global Symposium, we explored how strengthening education management information systems (EMIS) can empower districts, managers and schools through better data access, management, and utilization.
The Challenge: Making Data Work for Education
Education systems worldwide struggle with fragmented or underutilized data systems. While governments collect vast amounts of information, ensuring that this data is accessible, meaningful, and actionable remains a challenge.
In this blog, we share key lessons and strategies from a collaboration between the University of Oslo, HISP West and Central Africa and the Ministry of Education in Togo. Our approach focuses on data sharing across all levels of the education system, providing subnational actors and schools access to dynamic dashboards.
A Shared Digital Platform for Better Governance and Innovation
Our GPE KIX project leverages successful innovations from the health sector, particularly the use of DHIS2—a free and open-source web-based platform for collecting, analyzing, and managing data—to enhance education data systems. Using this platform, we’re making digital data displays and interactive features in management information systems accessible and useful to decision-makers at all levels.
Our central research question is straightforward yet challenging: How can we empower districts and school managers with data? This leads to deeper questions about data access, openness, management and use. We’re interested not only in how data is used within countries but also in building common digital public goods across countries so that ministries have access to tools that address common needs.
This is where the software ecosystem complements national data ecosystems. We explore questions about innovation, adaptation, and governance of these public goods across contexts: How can we ensure all countries feel their requirements and needs are considered? How can we effectively leverage and govern a shared digital platform across different contexts?
CREDIT: Ellen Summey
Terje Aksel Sanner from the University of Oslo delivers a presentation on education data systems integration and management strategies
These shared digital platforms enable education ministries and local administrators to move beyond siloed data management by fostering collaboration across different levels of the education system. Our approach addresses gaps in real-time data visualization and analysis through indicators such as enrollment by level, teacher-pupil ratios, and national exam success rates, disaggregated by factors like gender and disability status.
Key Takeaways from Our Work in Togo
In Togo, we focused on integrating the existing education data collection system, StatEduc, with DHIS2. StatEduc serves as the primary tool for data collection, while DHIS2 processes and provides flexible information products from the collected data, making these accessible at the subnational level.
We have seen firsthand how integrating with existing education systems can lead to meaningful improvements. We enhance what already works, gradually aligning EMIS-strengthening activities with the local capacity to own, maintain, and innovate.
The ministry in Togo has successfully developed an integrated education data system that connects multiple departments, including the Department of Planning, the Examinations Department, and the General Inspectorate of Education. This integration has improved data sharing and coordination across education units, contributing to a more efficient and responsive education management system.
Technology from the University of Oslo has been designed to align with the Togolese context, ensuring usability and sustainability. School observation data is now collected digitally using Android devices, allowing for faster, more accurate, and paperless data collection in the field. At the same time, annual census data is processed through StatEduc, ensuring continuity while leveraging DHIS2 for complementary data processing and visualization.
To ensure long-term sustainability and local ownership, we adopted a participatory approach throughout the implementation process, actively engaging local ministry teams in system configuration, data structuring, and decision-making. As an additional effort to further strengthen the system's sustainability, we focused on capacity building for app development and server management, providing stakeholders with the skills needed to maintain and enhance the system moving forward.
“In our work with the University of Oslo, we're strengthening capabilities not just at inspection and regional levels but also at the central level. This comprehensive approach ensures our technical team truly masters DHIS2, allowing us to drive future developments confidently.“
- Komi Dometo Gbokpa, Director of the National Center for Pedagogical Documentation and Information and Communication Technologies for Education in Togo
Furthermore, the system now provides real-time access to data for education inspectors, regional officers, and other key stakeholders from any terminal—whether in offices, schools, or even from home—provided that an internet connection is available. This remote accessibility has significantly improved the use of data for decision-making, allowing for timely interventions, better monitoring of education indicators, and more informed policy decisions.
“As someone who has worked directly with this system, I've seen how all inspections can now easily leverage data from our annual census and access real-time information on pedagogical monitoring. From my perspective at the Ministry, this transformation is already enhancing data use and significantly improving data quality across our education system.”
- Efoe Gbeteglo, Head of the Division of Statistics at Togo's Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and contributor to this blog
Trust and Reciprocity: The Bridge Between Research and Practice
One of the most crucial aspects of sustainable data use is fostering trust and reciprocity between researchers and practitioners. Universities, PhD candidates, and master’s students play a key role in bridging the gap between data innovation and real-world application, ensuring that new technologies and methodologies are grounded in local needs.
Our implementation established robust relationships with pivotal departments within the Ministry of Education, namely Planning, Examination, and Human Resources. Consultative sessions provided guidance on system architecture, with the objective of establishing an integrated system.
From the Ministry’s perspective, Gbokpa attributes the close proximity to researchers in making collaboration particularly seamless. “We could walk into each other's offices whenever implementation challenges arise, allowing us to work together directly to solve problems in real-time.”
Looking Ahead: The Road to Data Harmonization
Education data innovation is not a one-time fix but an ongoing process. By focusing on solutions that address immediate ministry needs, we can make incremental progress toward broader data harmonization involving more data and stakeholders over time. At the heart of this work is a shared goal: empowering schools and districts with the tools they need to make informed, data-driven decisions that improve education for all.
Learn more
Watch us discussing this research during the 5th KIX Global Symposium Day 2: Thematic Breakout Sessions on Gender Equality and on Data Systems.
About the 5th Annual GPE KIX Symposium
The 5th Annual Global Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (GPE KIX) Symposium online event, ‘Promoting a Culture of Evidence-Use in Policymaking—Challenges and Opportunities,’ brought together over 700 participants for two days of discussions on evidence-based education transformation. It highlighted how GPE KIX initiatives successfully influenced policy, addressed local education challenges, and drove meaningful change.
Watch the full broadcast:
Explore Expert Insights:
Read blogs from our distinguished speakers to deepen your understanding of the symposium's key themes. These blogs provide comprehensive coverage of the Thematic Breakout Sessions and their most valuable takeaways.
