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Ministry abandons Nemis as it fails to capture pupils’ data

Ministry of Education officers use the National Education Management Information System to verify details of Form One students at Kakamega Boys High School on January 7, 2019. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The report shows that information on only 3.28 million primary school pupils out of a possible 8.89 million is in the database.

The government has abandoned the National Education Management Information System (Nemis) and gone back to manual counting of learners after more than three years of digital registration.

Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha admitted that his ministry does not have an accurate and reliable database on the actual number of schools and students that can be relied on for decision-making.

In a December 10 circular to county directors of education, Prof Magoha directed the officials to verify to his office details about learners and primary and secondary schools.

He wants to know the actual number pupils from Grade Two to Standard Eight countrywide.

“This information is required for 2020 capitation and other critical decisions. It is reiterated that no institution shall receive funds or any other ministerial services without this data,” the minister added.

He said county directors of education would be held personally responsible for the information provided.

CAPITATION

The digital registration of learners started in 2017, but only half have been entered into the system to date.

The registered children were given personal identification numbers, with funding to schools being based on the programme.

However, a report by the Education ministry submitted to the National Assembly early this year showed that the system has only captured information on 50 per cent of the learners in public and private schools.

According to the report presented to the National Assembly Committee on Education by Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang, only 6.8 million learners out of a possible 13 million have been captured.

The report shows that information on only 3.28 million primary school pupils out of a possible 8.89 million is in the database. This means about that five million children are unaccounted for.

The government provides Sh1,420 for every pupil in a public primary school annually.

In secondary schools, only 2.47 million students had been captured against a target of 2.8 million.

The government provides Sh22,244 in funding per student in secondary school, yet data for some 400,000 is missing in the digital system.