The Ministry of Education is raising alarms over the reluctance of private schools to register their students on the new Education Management Information System (EMIS).
Despite a 99 percent adoption rate in public schools, only half of the private institutions across the country have enrolled their learners on the system.
According to Ismail Mulindwa, the Director of Basic Education, out of 60,529 private schools, only 30,519 have enrolled their students on the EMIS. This stark difference in adoption rates is concerning, especially when considering that out of the 1.5 million secondary learners registered, nearly two-thirds are from government schools.
The EMIS, implemented in 2022, was designed to replace the outdated manual system and enhance transparency in educational planning and management. Mulindwa emphasized the importance of this system in eliminating ghost learners and teachers while facilitating easier institution management.
To address this gap, the Ministry plans to conduct capacity-building workshops for private school heads across all local governments. These efforts aim to encourage greater participation from private institutions and ensure comprehensive data coverage in the education sector.