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DHIS2 for Education
Take advantage of DHIS2’s built-in tools and regional capacity to facilitate data use for improvement in learning outcomes and equitable access to education
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What is DHIS2 for Education?
UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education) calls for the use of data to guide improvement in learning outcomes and equitable access to education. DHIS2 for Education extends the DHIS software platform from the health sector to the education sector for the collection, analysis, visualization, and use of individual and aggregate data from institutions of learning. DHIS2 for Education takes advantage of decades of DHIS2 experience with national-level HMIS systems, offering a stable, scalable, and customizable Education Management Information System (EMIS) solution that is backed by international donor organizations as a global public good, supported by the DHIS2 development team and global HISP network, and allows countries to leverage their existing DHIS2 capacity and expertise.
Because DHIS2 for Education is built on the core DHIS2 platform, it allows for seamless integration with Tracker and DHIS2 Apps, and uses DHIS2 sharing features to allow controlled access to data and analytics at all levels of the education system. It also facilitates the development of national- and international-level programs that use data from across sectors, such as a schools-based child immunization campaign, by making it easy to combine health and education data in one report or custom dashboard. And it allows for integration with other software platforms (such as logistics, human resources, grading systems and payroll).
This page provides an overview of DHIS2 for Education, including where it is being used now, key features, examples of real-life use cases, and information on how you can test the system for yourself. You can also watch videos about this project from on the DHIS2 YouTube channel for more information and updates from the field, and join the discussion on the DHIS2 Community of Practice.
Where is DHIS2 for Education used?
The following interactive map and chart show countries that are piloting DHIS2 for Education, in addition to full-scale and pilot DHIS2 implementations for health data.
Is your DHIS2 implementation missing from our map? Share the details with us.
What can DHIS2 for Education do?
DHIS2 for Education is a flexible, open-source platform that is designed to be adaptable to a wide range of use cases. It supports both aggregate and individual-level data, data entry on desktop and mobile devices, the creation of custom web and Android apps, and integration with other software platforms through open APIs. Some example uses are listed below. If you have questions about how DHIS2 for Education can be adapted to meet your needs, we encourage you to contact us by email. You can also review our online demo database to explore the basic features of the system.
- School Management
- Student Enrollment and Attendance
- Infrastructure Management
- Nutrition and Hygiene
- Resource Allocation
- Multi-Sectoral Analysis (Health, Education, Nutrition, Social Protection)
For an overview of some key considerations in selecting an EMIS platform, you can review the report published by UNESCO and Global Partnership for Education (GPE): Efficieny and Effectiveness in Choosing and Using an EMIS
Impact Stories: Improving education and public health
Our current pilot projects have already shown some of the exciting and impactful ways that DHIS2 for Education can be used both to improve education systems and public health programs by triangulating education and health data.
COVID-19: Linking school-based and national surveillance
The COVID-19 pandemic led the Ugandan government to close down in-person schooling for several months. DHIS2 was used to help the schools reopen by linking school-based COVID-19 screening with the national surveillance system. Read our user story about this implementation, and learn more on the KIX-GPE website.
Lessons Learned, Best Practices, and Stories from the Field
At the DHIS2 Annual Conference, HISP implementing partners and Ministry of Education representatives from Uganda, The Gambia, Eswatini, Togo, Mozambique and Sri Lanka joined members of the HISP-UiO team to present details and lessons learned from the ongoing DHIS2 for Education projects. Watch the presentations and join the discussion on the Community of Practice.
Data for Education Planning in Uganda
The Ugandan DHIS2 for Education pilot has been running since mid-2019 in select urban, peri-urban, and rural districts, and is already a big success. The school districts using DHIS2 have not only embraced the system for pre-primary and primary schools–using it to make strategic decisions about school infrastructure improvements and more–but hope to expand into secondary and tertiary education as well.
Combining School and Health Data for Immunization Campaigns
In October 2019, Uganda launched a country-wide immunization campaign targeting 18 million children. The MoH used DHIS2 for data collection and visualization, and the Ministry of Education shared DHIS2 data on school registration to help determine the scale and target population for the campaign. This was a great example of inter-Ministry collaboration, and of how education and health data can be combined for better outcomes.
DHIS2 for Education featured by the Digital Public Goods Alliance
The Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA) promotes the use of free and open-source tools to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. DHIS2 is certified as a Digital Public Good by the DPGA, is featured as a Pathfinding Pilot in both health and education.
Research on DHIS2 for Education
The development of DHIS2 for Education is part of a research project organized by the HISP program at the University of Oslo (UiO). The objective of this research project is to understand how best to leverage DHIS2 to enhance education data use at all levels of the education system. You can read more about this research project on the UiO website.
Since the project began in 2019, the countries involved have gained valuable experience and lessons learned. Ministry of Education representatives, HISP groups and other partners from Uganda, The Gabia, Eswatini, Togo, Mozambique and Sri Lanka presented updates on their work and findings at the 2021 DHIS2 Annual Conference. You can watch the recording of their presentations on the DHIS2 YouTube channel.
Try DHIS for Education yourself
Explore DHIS2 for Education on your own using our online demo database (login required): DHIS2 for Education Interactive Demo
Discuss DHIS2 for Education with a global network of experts
The DHIS2 Community of Practice (CoP) is the primary online forum for DHIS2 discussion, sharing and support. You can visit the Education section of the CoP to join ongoing discussion on topics related to implementation and use of DHIS2 as an EMIS, ask questions and share your thoughts. Join the discussion about DHIS2 for Education on the CoP today!
Explore the Community of Practice
You can also contact the HISP Group in your region for support on implementation of DHIS2 for Education in your country, or email the DHIS2 interoperability team directly at: emis@dhis2.org