Introduction
Since
independence in 1964, the Zambian Government has realised the need for
concerted efforts towards development of education. The need for education
rose from the scarcity of qualified human resources to manage the Zambian
economy and general welfare in the new Zambia. According to the Ministry of
Education (1996), “Significant achievements were made in increasing school
enrolments, training teachers, producing and supplying textbooks and other
educational materials, developing school libraries, and maintaining quality in
the educational system” (p.145). Over time the Zambian economy went through
very hard times with reduced revenue from the mining industry due to, among
other reasons, falling copper prices worldwide and the closure of the border
between Zambia and Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia) in 1965, thereby affecting
Zambia’s ability to trade through that major route. As this economic
downfall went on, the population was growing, thus exerting pressure on the
system. The number of school-aged children kept growing exponentially, making
it almost impossible to provide adequate access and maintain as well as
supervise the educational system effectively. The government was forced to
expand its school system. The Ministry of Education (1996) noted, “The
capacity to manage the system had deteriorated as rapid expansion went hand in
hand with lack of investment in management training and lack of resources for
effective educational supervision” (p. 145). In spite of these problems, the
Zambian Government has aimed at enhancing the quality of, and access to,
education and training in order to raise productivity of human capital, reduce
poverty and increase economic growth (Ministry of Finance and Economic
Development, 1999-2001). In order to address the basic education problems the
government conceived the Basic Education Sub-Sector Investment Programme (BESSIP),
whose key targets, among others, were to increase enrolment and improve the
quality of education. This entailed major capacity building of the sector in
terms of human resources, material and financial resources and improved
management systems. One of the crucial factors in the management of the sector
is a reliable pool of management information.
Towards
the Development of the Educational Management Information System
As
the education system continued to grow, the need for management information
became more and more apparent. It became very difficult to plan, manage and
monitor the education system without a sound information system. Such
management information included human resource or personnel information,
including teacher information, learners or pupil information, materials
information, financial information. Although the Ministry collected data on
pupils, teachers and materials through annual returns (forms sent out to
schools for collection of such information) it was observed that the capacity
of the Ministry and methodology employed to gather such information were not
effective. As Nkamba (1997) observed, “In 1993, the most recently published
statistics pertained to the 1983-84 academic year” (p. 4).
In the absence of a coordinated information management system,
“Different departments collected data for their own internal needs,
resulting in duplication, repetitive demands on the responding school offices,
and segmented views. Furthermore, the Ministry had no capacity to process its
own data” (Nkamba 1997, 4). In
order to address these problems, the Ministry of Education, through the
Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) and Working
Group of Education Statistics (WGES), joined the group of twelve countries
(Zambia included) to participate in the National Education Statistical
Information System (NESIS) under the coordination of UNESCO. In this programme
a national diagnostic survey was conducted. The survey recommended a holistic
approach to address the problems of lack of a sound educational management
information pool. The recommendations included six key areas:
1.
Development and strengthening of record keeping at all levels;
2.
Improvement of the quality and content of information;
3.
Staff development along the entire information cycle;
4.
Creation of an information system, which answers users’ needs in
terms of quality and content;
5.
Computerisation of the information system;
6.
Strengthening the use of statistics at all levels.
These
recommendations aimed at enhancing the capacity, not only at the Ministry of
Education Headquarters, but also at the school levels through the development
of a school records management practice that would ensure that information is
captured as it is created so that it becomes easier for the school to provide
the information when it is needed by the Ministry (Chifwepa 1997). The data
collection questionnaires were revised to reflect the management requirements.
Through workshops and deliberate training programmes, staff were trained in
the aspects of information management and use. Manuals and modules including
the management of records at school level, educational indicators, and data
analysis manuals were developed. Computers were acquired and unit for
statistical information was strengthened through staffing.
In
addition to the NESIS programme, BESSIP developed a teacher and financial
management centre and system. For higher education, the Teacher Education
Department (TED) maintained its own information outside the Ministry of
Education Headquarters premises.
Assessment
of the EMIS
Despite
all the above efforts, some indicators still show poor results of a
full-fledged and reliable Educational Management Information
System (EMIS). Statistics are still delayed, in some cases not
accurate. The management information is not consolidated; one has to go to
different places for teacher education, financial and materials resources.
Some issues below may explain some of the problems. There have been a number
of challenges threatening full realisation of the full-fledged EMIS. These
include sustainability and government commitment.
All
the efforts towards the development of EMIS as amalgamation of the
above-described components are heavily dependent on donor support. In the
event of pullout of such support, the efforts would be heavily threatened. In
addition, the staff trained under these programmes become highly attractive to
the private sector. With the poor conditions of service in the civil service,
the brain drain is likely to leave the efforts with inadequate staffing. So
far some staff trained in statistical and educational indicators systems and
computerised information systems under NESIS and BESSIP have left the
Ministry. Although they have
since been replaced, the turnover is likely to be high.
Equipment
will need to be maintained. The computers that the donors have acquired from
abroad will need to be maintained. Without a reliable computer industry in
Zambia the equipment will need to be imported. This will in turn require a lot
of funding. At the moment there is no Information and Communication Technology
(ICT) policy, as importation and availability of such technology is not
assured. EMIS is increasingly dependent on the appropriate modern
technologies.
The
school records management practice requires funds and facilities such as
stationery. With the dwindling allocations for schools, the records management
is threatened. Without a sound information base at the school level the
information supplied to the Ministry of Education could be highly unreliable
and inconsistent. In addition, there is need to strengthen the records
management and information system management not only at the Ministry of
Education Headquarters but also at school levels as well.
Conclusion
Efforts
have been made to develop and maintain an Educational Management Information
System. The system will require measures to sustain it through policy that
would commit the government to resource allocation, human resource maintenance
and supply of equipment. In the absence of policy to streamline EMIS and the
lack of policy on information and communication technology in Zambia, an
efficient EMIS is under great threat.
References
Chifwepa,
V. 1997. Management of records at school level.
Paris: UNESCO, NESIS.
Ministry
of Education. 1996. Educating our future: National policy on education.
Lusaka: Ministry of Education.
Nkamba,
M. 1997. Developing a national education statistics information system in
Zambia. ADEA Newsletter, April-June, pp. 4-6.