Reliable education data is no longer a technical back-office function, it is central to how countries plan, govern and transform their education systems. This is the focus in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, where the African Union Commission, through its Pan-African Institute of Education for Development (AU-IPED), has opened a three-day workshop from 19th-21st May 2026 to support national reflection on the state of the country’s Education Management Information System (EMIS).
The Brazzaville workshop follows a similar engagement held in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, from 12th-14th May 2026, and forms part of a wider AU-IPED effort to accompany Member States in assessing, modernizing and harmonizing their education data systems in line with the African Union’s EMIS norms and standards.
The opening ceremony was marked by a keynote address delivered by the Minister of Preschool, Primary, Secondary Education and Literacy in the Republic of Congo His Excellency, Mr. Jean Luc Mouthou. In his remarks, the Minister emphasized that the initiative reflects the Government’s commitment to strengthen the effectiveness of public action through modern management and monitoring tools based on reliable data. For the education sector, he underlined the need for an efficient EMIS as a strategic instrument for producing reliable, harmonized and useful statistical data to guide decision-making.
Speaking on behalf of the African Union, Mr. Adoumtar Noubatour, Head of AU-IPED, emphasized the continental importance of harmonized education data systems, noting that aligning national EMIS with African Union norms and standards is essential for improving the quality, comparability and interoperability of education data across Africa. He also highlighted the importance of active participation, peer learning and collective reflection in building modern, integrated and effective education systems.
Held under the theme “State of EMIS in Africa: Self-Assessment through the African Union’s EMIS Norms and Standards,” the workshop provides a platform for national stakeholders to take stock of the current state of EMIS in the Republic of Congo, identify existing strengths and gaps, and define practical priorities for improvement.
Rather than treating data as a reporting requirement, the workshop positions EMIS as a foundation for better planning, stronger accountability and more responsive education policy. Participants will reflect on common challenges, including data quality, technology integration, information governance, stakeholder coordination and capacity strengthening, while drawing lessons from experiences across the region.
The workshop will also examine how digital solutions can respond to Congo’s specific education data needs. This includes discussions on District Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2), an open-source digital platform that supports data collection, management, analysis and visualization. While the Republic of Congo has already taken steps to modernize its education information system, the workshop offers space to consider how tools such as DHIS2 could be adapted gradually and appropriately to strengthen their EMIS.
By the end of the three days, participants are expected to contribute to a clear roadmap of priorities and concrete actions, to be consolidated into a call to action for national and regional advocacy. Through this initiative, AU-IPED continues to support African Union Member States in strengthening the quality, harmonization and use of education data for evidence-based decision-making, improved planning and more effective governance of education systems across the continent, in line with the Continental Education Strategy for Africa 2026–2035 (CESA 26–35).
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