32m Learners Enrol As Federal Govt Rolls Out Education Database

The federal government has fixed tomorrow for the official launch of its Digital National Education Information Management System (DNEMIS) in its drive to modernise education administration through technology and data-driven management.

Speaking ahead of the launch, the national project coordinator of the Special Programmes Operations and Implementation Unit in the Office of the Minister of Education, Mr Adebayo Onigbanjo, disclosed yesterday that over 32 million students have been enrolled on the digital platform.

Onigbanjo said the platform formed the backbone of the Nigeria Education Data Infrastructure (NEDI), an initiative under the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI) designed to provide reliable, timely and integrated education data for planning, budgeting, policymaking and service delivery.

“For many years, education planning relied on fragmented systems, inconsistent reporting structures and limited access to reliable data. DNEMIS changes that by ensuring that every learner, every school, every teacher and every investment in education is captured within a system that supports evidence-based decision-making,” he said.

He described education data as a strategic national asset, stressing that the digital platform would strengthen governance, transparency and accountability across the education sector.

Responding to questions on how the platform would help address Nigeria’s out-of-school children challenge, Onigbanjo said the availability of accurate data would enable the government to identify learning gaps, monitor students’ progress and make targeted investments where they are most needed.

“If you don’t measure, you can’t get a good sense of what the data is. Today, we already have 32 million students on the platform, and that gives us an indication of where learners are.

“We are also understanding their journey from when they start school and when they drop out. That gives us insight into their challenges and where investments need to go. Every school becomes visible, every student gets counted, every teacher is known, and every government expenditure in education becomes trackable. To a greater extent, this will stop wastage,” he stated.

Onigbanjo explained that the ultimate objective is to provide visibility into the educational journey of every learner from entry into formal education until completion.

“We are trying to achieve the ability to have visibility of all learners from the day they begin formal education until they leave the system. This provides government with the information needed to plan effectively and improve learning outcomes,” he added.

Addressing concerns over data privacy, he said the system was developed on globally recognised digital architecture with strong safeguards to protect personal information.

According to him, sensitive information would be masked while digital identity profiles would allow authorised users to access data securely without exposing personal details.

Also speaking, the National Coordinator of Nigerian Education Data Infrastructure, NEDI, Abubakar Isah, said the system complies fully with Nigeria’s data protection regulations and incorporates internationally accepted data security standards.

“We recognise the importance of data protection. We are complying with the country’s data protection rules and taking every necessary precaution to ensure that this data is secure,” Abubakar said.

He added that schools and state governments would have access to their own information, communities, alumni associations and development partners would also be able to view non-sensitive school data to support educational development.

“The idea is to allow communities to know what their schools need so that they can contribute to improving them, while also holding government accountable,” he noted.