KIX LAC Event Highlights: How to build diagnostics and strengthening plans for the EMIS
SUMMA – KIX LAC, with the support of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and in coordination with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), organized the workshop Transforming Educational Management: How to build diagnostics and strengthening plans for Education Information and Management Systems (EMIS) in Latin America and the Caribbean, which marks the closing of the Cycle of Knowledge Mobilization and Community of Practice Using Evidence in Education.
Elena Arias Ortiz, Senior Education Specialist at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), presented the study Digital Transformation of Educational Management, which addressed the current challenges facing education in Latin America and the Caribbean. In response to this situation, he stressed the importance of focusing on two main areas: pedagogical transformation, with a focus on 21st century skills, and improving the management and efficiency of spending, prioritizing effective processes and the use of integrated and updated digital information.
In the second part of the meeting, Marcelo Perez Alfaro, IDB Lead Education Specialist, moderated a panel to exchange experiences on the implementation of the EMIS Diagnostic Tool, where the challenges and achievements in countries such as Brazil, Barbados and Jamaica were discussed.
Sebastián Iturralde, Manager of the Economics Department of CPA Ferrere, shared his experience on the challenges faced by the EMIS improvement plan, emphasizing the importance of adopting a global and comprehensive vision of transformation, and offering key recommendations and considerations for its implementation. Some of the suggestions included ensuring political support for its implementation, defining actions structured in components that address specific objectives and mapping available financial, personnel and technological resources. Finally, the implementation should be carried out in stages, adapting to the resources and capabilities of the teams.
At the end of the workshop, Germain Anthony, Technical Education Specialist of the OECS Educational Development Management Unit, shared his perspective on the implementation of EMIS in the Eastern Caribbean, where given the size of the population and the limited financial resources of the countries, they adopted a regional approach to drive initiatives as a block and strengthen capacities to advance educational planning.