The Ministry of Education has announced plans to introduce a new data management system to replace its current one, which it says, has a lot of inefficiencies.
The new Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS) will be rolled out soon to take the place of the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS), the ministry has said.
The system will help in the management of data at the ministry, including data on staff, students, teachers and learning institutions.
NEMIS was introduced by the Education Ministry on July 31, 2017, to collect and manage data of students, from Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) to the university level.
On Thursday, May 15, the ministry said the new system will be rolled out in July. The ministry said the rollout is part of its efforts to digitise and integrate data for all students in Kenya.
“This is a golden opportunity to unify our education data systems. KEMIS will cover the entire education system from ECDE, TIVET, and higher education up to research. It will integrate all our education system, including all our schools, colleges, and sub-county directors of education,” Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok said.
According to the ministry, the transition to KEMIS is driven by the need to address inefficiencies in NEMIS.
Bitok noted that the new system will offer real-time data integration, eliminating duplications, and make it easy for learners' progress to be tracked across all education levels.
KEMIS is also expected to enhance data security and provide easier access for education administrators, policymakers, and parents.
Julius Kibiwott Melly, the chairperson of the Parliamentary Education Committee, said the challenges faced with NEMIS, especially from the users, the headteachers of schools, are that some students are not being captured in the system.
“Issues of information, especially from the users, the headteachers of schools, that some students are not being captured in NEMIS.They have had issues across the polytechnics, issues in the universities, and issues concerning the new funding model that have the information."
"This morning we came so that we can give the necessary support to the ministry to ensure that they have one one-stop shop for data,” Kibiwott stated.
KEMIS is scheduled to commence in July 2025, with the goal of creating a centralized database that links student data from all educational institutions.
This initiative is part of the government's effort to improve service delivery and ensure alignment with its economic transformation agenda.
