The Federal Government has launched a new digital platform known as the Digitalised Nigeria Education Management Information System (DNEMIS), aimed at improving the collection and management of education data across the country.
Education Minister, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced the initiative in Abuja on Wednesday, describing it as a central database that would serve as the foundation for planning and reforming Nigeria’s education sector.
He urged state governments, local education authorities, and private school owners to ensure full registration and data submission.
Alausa explained that the system would capture real-time information on schools, teachers, students, classrooms, and infrastructure such as water, electricity, and sanitation facilities.
According to him, accurate data remains essential for effective policy decisions and targeted interventions.
Government records showed that Nigeria currently has over 213,000 schools, with about 124,548 already submitting their data, representing a 58.4 per cent coverage rate.
The platform has also recorded more than 40 million learners, nearly 1.2 million teachers, over 730,000 classrooms, and about 607,000 toilet facilities.
The minister noted that while public schools have achieved about 90 per cent data submission, private schools are at approximately 50 per cent.
He emphasised that private institutions, which make up a significant portion of Nigeria’s education system, especially at the junior secondary level, must be fully included for accurate national planning.
He dismissed concerns that the exercise could be linked to taxation, insisting the purpose is purely for planning and development.
“We need complete and reliable data to design interventions and improve learning outcomes,” he said.
Development partners including the World Bank, the European Union, the Norwegian Government, and UNICEF supported the rollout of the system after earlier implementation delays were resolved.
The initiative comes amid growing concern over Nigeria’s education challenges, including an estimated 18.3 million out-of-school children and reports suggesting that a large proportion of pupils struggle with basic literacy by age 10.
Also speaking, Director-General of the National Bureau of Statistics, Semiu Adeniran, said the agency would integrate its data systems with DNEMIS to ensure accuracy and consistency in national education statistics.
He added that household surveys would help validate school-level data and improve reliability.
Officials said the new platform would become Nigeria’s official reference point for education planning and would support reforms aimed at strengthening learning outcomes for millions of students nationwide.
