The eighteenth edition of the KIX Conversations featured the participation of Tonnica Dey, Chief Planning Officer, and Dahvis Caldiera, Senior Statistician of the Ministry of Education of Guyana, who talked about the development of the Education Information and Management Systems (EMIS) in that country. The interview was conducted by KIX LAC Country Support Officer, Rosa María Moncada.
Tonnica Dey opened the meeting by listing the main challenges and motivations that drove the development of EMIS in Guyana. These included greater integration between educational departments, the implementation of automated data collection processes, and the strengthening of technological infrastructure, all of which are key to creating effective policies, allocating resources equitably, and monitoring student achievement.
Dahvis Caldiera, meanwhile, highlighted achievements since the implementation of EMIS in 2018, such as the transition from a fragmented survey system to a centralized platform that provides real-time information for students and teachers, in addition to the integration of modules at the school, management and human resources levels.
Regarding the technology utilized, this includes the OpenEMIS Core platform, which provides personalized and real-time data, complemented by work in the cloud for the restoration and protection of information, and mobile technology that facilitates access to the EMIS in rural schools.
Looking to the future, Tonnica Dey assured that there are plans to promote a data culture, to develop a control panel to identify early warning signs to prevent school dropout, and to continue strengthening the training of users of the EMIS.
At the end of the meeting, and as a recommendation for other countries that want to implement and ensure the success of the EMIS, Caldiera remarked that it is essential to have a leader capable of promoting the necessary changes, to have adequate support policies, and to guarantee access to Internet and devices in schools. In the case of Guyana, she stressed the importance of maintaining continuous monitoring and providing effective feedback to end users.
Watch the recording on YouTube: https://bit.ly/46JVIE0
