The African Union Pan-African Institute for Education for Development (AU IPED), a joint initiative with the International Development Research Center (IDRC) of Canada through the Global Partnership for Education Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (GPE KIX) Africa 19 Hub, has successfully concluded a three-day workshop in Juba, South Sudan to strengthen the country's Education Management Information System (EMIS).
The workshop was launched in collaboration with the Ministry of General Education and Instruction (MOGEI) and brought together senior government leadership and technical teams from key departments including EMIS, Planning and Budgeting, ICT and Policy. The engagement enabled cross-functional dialogue and alignment across units responsible for the production, management and use of education data, advancing a shared agenda to strengthen data systems and improve evidence-based decision making. Strengthening EMIS is important to track progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) as well as the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 2026-2035).
The workshop was officially opened by the Head of AU IPED, Mr. Adoumtar Noubtoor, along with the Director General of Planning and Budget of the Ministry of General Education and Instruction of South Sudan. George Mago, and Mr. Mabor Toor, GPE KICKS Focal Point for South Sudan. In his remarks, he underlined the central role of reliable and well-governed data systems in enabling effective planning, resource allocation and improved learning outcomes in the education sector. “Without reliable data, planning remains guesswork; strong education systems are built on strong information systems.” – Honorable. George Mago, Director General of Planning and Budgeting from the Ministry of General Education of South Sudan.
At the three-day event, AU IPED led technical consultations, system mapping and collaborative working sessions with ministry officials in EMIS, planning, ICT and policy units. Through these engagements, participants explored how education data moves throughout the system – from handwritten class registers and school-level record books to state-level aggregation and national reporting platforms. This process revealed an EMIS landscape that is largely manual, fragmented across multiple systems, and heavily dependent on partner-supported tools with limited integration between data streams. In practice, this has resulted in parallel reporting processes, inconsistencies in key education indicators and delays in data availability for decision making.
Through facilitated discussions, AU IPED helped participants critically examine bottlenecks in data flows, gaps in standardization and institutional capacity constraints, as well as the implications of these challenges on planning, resource allocation and system performance. Particular attention was paid to how data is collected, verified and disseminated at different levels, highlighting points where data quality has been compromised or lost.
To translate these discussions into operational realities, AU IPED conducted field visits to public schools in Juba, where the team observed first-hand how education data is generated, recorded and disseminated. The visits provided important validation of system-level findings – demonstrating the reliance on paper-based tools, the burden placed on school-level staff and the resilience of teachers working in constrained environments, and ensuring that proposed reforms are both practical and context-responsive.
The workshop highlighted several persistent and interrelated challenges affecting the effectiveness of EMIS in South Sudan:
- Fragmented and parallel data systems, including EMIS, statistical systems, and partner-supported tools, resulting in inconsistencies and limited interoperability across key education indicators.
- Limited technical capacity at national and subnational levels, particularly in data management, analysis and systems administration
- Heavy reliance on manual, paper-based data collection at the school level, increasing risks of data errors, delays and limited real-time access to information
- Inadequate ICT infrastructure and connectivity, including limited access to computers, internet and electricity supply – particularly in rural and hard-to-reach areas
- Weak coordination mechanisms between stakeholders and development partners, leading to duplication of efforts and misalignment with ministry systems
- Low levels of domestic funding for education data systems, resulting in high dependence on external funding and limited sustainability
Priority Recommendations for Strengthening EMIS
In response, participants identified a set of priority, system-level reforms:
- Strengthening the data governance framework by clearly defining institutional roles and responsibilities, establishing data standards and strengthening accountability mechanisms
- Development and institutionalization of standardized data collection instruments, including tools to capture important indicators such as students' reasons for dropping out and exclusion from school
- Establishing a structured partner coordination mechanism led by the Ministry to align investments, harmonize instruments and reduce duplication
- Design and implement a sustainable capacity development strategy targeting EMIS personnel at national and subnational levels
- Investing in ICT infrastructure and systems integration to improve data reliability, access and use in the education system
One Cost National EMIS Action Plan
A key outcome of the Mission was the development of a costed National EMIS Action Plan led by the Ministry and supported by AU IPED. The plan translates the identified challenges into a set of prioritized, actionable interventions, providing a clear framework for implementation.
Structured around five main investment areas, namely; Capacity development, improving data quality, ICT infrastructure and systems integration, strengthening governance and policy, and decentralization, the plan outlines specific activities needed to strengthen the EMIS ecosystem at the national and subnational levels.
Indicative budget allocations to support implementation – including targeted investments in training, infrastructure, data quality, governance and decentralization – were proposed. By linking priorities to costed interventions, the plan provides a sequenced and implementable roadmap to guide resource mobilization, partner alignment and sustained system strengthening.
looking ahead
As South Sudan continues its transition from emergency response to long-term system strengthening, the outcomes of this mission represent an important step towards institutionalizing data-driven education planning and decision-making in line with national priorities, Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), and the Continental Education Strategy for Africa CESA 2026-2035.
Concluding the conversation, Head of AU IPED, Adoumater Noubatour, stressed the importance of continued leadership and commitment:
“To transform education systems we must face difficult realities and make informed choices. Strengthening education data systems is not easy – but it is essential if we are to create systems that serve every learner and support informed decision-making at all levels.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of the African Union (AU).