Over 65 representatives from the Ministries of Education, Gender, and Finance gathered in Lilongwe, Malawi for a MICS-Education Analysis for Global Learning and Equity (MICS-EAGLE) national workshop from 6 to 8 September 2022. The goal was to build capacity on how to interpret and apply education data to influence policy. High level representation from the Ministry of Education helped to open the workshop, with KIX Malawi representatives David Mulera and Dr. Valentino Zimpita in attendance on the opening day.
The workshop had three main objectives:
- Strengthen awareness of Ministry of Education and other Ministry staff on MICS-EAGLE, and its findings and disseminate the Malawi MICS-EAGLE Factsheet;
- Enhance the capacity of participants to interpret data, analyze indicators, and use education household data for education policy formulation, planning and monitoring and
- Build a cadre of skilled personnel across management levels of the education system to champion evidence informed decisions at the district, regional and national levels.
Eight broad categories were covered during the workshop: access and completion, skills, inclusive education, early learning, out-of-school children, repetition and dropouts, child protection, and remote learning. Working in groups, participants discussed how to interpret the data, consider the implications of the data, and come up with a short policy brief that contained data-driven recommendations for action. Participants also gained valuable experience in presenting in front of a large group and receiving feedback on their work.
Seeing the value of the workshop, officials from the Ministry of Education expressed interest in holding complementary training for staff who work with EMIS data at the district level, even if they had to fund the training themselves. The training would follow a similar approach to the MICS-EAGLE workshop and be geared to district education management information systems officers. So, this workshop could be the start of much more to come.
