Amman, 22 February 2023 - The Minister of Education H.E. Prof. Azmi Mahfzah, H.E. Maria Hadjitheodosiou, Ambassador of the European Union to Jordan, and Ms. Min Jeong Kim, UNESCO Representative to Jordan, launched the "Technical assistance to support the Ministry of Education's Education Management Information System (EMIS) platform for enhanced evidence-based decision-making" project today at the Ministry of Education (MoE).
Through a 1 million Euro contribution the MoE, EU and UNESCO, joined forces to support the implementation of the EMIS Policy that was launched by the Ministry in June 2022. The partnership will in particular look into enhancements to their education information management system (OpenEMIS) to improve data quality, accuracy and utilization, including enhanced data on refugees.
H.E. Prof. Azmi Mahfzah praised the high level of partnership between the Ministry, the European Union and UNESCO, and the continuous support provided through this partnership, which contributes to the development and improvement of the educational process. H.E also stressed on the need to build the capacity of OpenEMIS users at the school, directorate, and central level so that they can use data in the decision-making process. "The Ministry is keen to build the capacity of staff on the sustainability and management of the system and the operational environment, as well as to support and develop tools to ensure the data entry and quality assurance".
On the occasion of the project launch, H.E. Ambassador Hadjitheodosiou stressed that "Support to the education sector in Jordan remains one of the top priorities for the EU, because education is not only a fundamental human right, it is also the cornerstone for economic development. Reliable data on schools, students, teachers and staff is key not only to identify needs, but also to shape decision-making and allow for adequate financial and operational planning."
This initiative will build on EU's and UNESCO's earlier support to Jordan's Education Information Management Systems. It will also complement the ongoing technical assistance provided to the Ministry under the System Strengthening Partnership (SSP) programme, which is currently being implemented with Canada, the Italian Agency for Development and Cooperation (Agenzia Italiana per la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo /AICS), Norway, and Switzerland.
UNESCO Representative to Jordan, Ms. Min Jeong Kim, thanked the EU for their standing partnership and cooperation over the years and stated that "data is the backbone of a strong education system, and strategic investments such as this one by the EU in evidence-based education policy, planning, monitoring and evaluation is critical to guarantee the rights of every child and youth to quality and inclusive education".
The project strategically aligns with the goals in the recently extended Education Strategic Plan 2018-2025 and contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG4. It also helps the MoE to monitor their commitments under the National Strategy for Human Resource Development (2016-2025), the Economic Modernization Vision (2023-2033), and the National Statement of Commitment made at the UN Transforming Education Summit in September 2022.
Background information:
In 2016, the Government of Jordan officially adopted the Open-Source Education Management Information System (OpenEMIS) as their main data platform. It is a core MoE planning tool that provides accurate, timely, integrated, comprehensive, and disaggregated data on students, teachers, staff, schools, field directorates, and infrastructure. Furthermore, it provides reports that are used to produce statistical digests, and indicators, which serve decision-makers at all administrative levels to inform ministry, school, and field directorate policy evaluation and formulation. As of today, EMIS is used by over 2 million users across the Kingdom, covering all 7,400 public schools.
UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization. It seeks to build peace through international cooperation in Education, the Sciences and Culture. UNESCO's programmes contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals defined in the 2030 Agenda, adopted by the UN General Assembly. UNESCO strives to bring collective intelligence to life, mobilizing education, culture, the sciences, and information to build sustainable solutions to global challenges. UNESCO's mission in Jordan is to work with the government of Jordan and other stakeholders to provide effective high quality educational, scientific, cultural and communication programmes.
