Easy access to relevant, timely and accurate education data is crucial to educational development. As decentralization and democratization processes are making their way in an increasing number of countries, data are needed by a wider category of users (local school administrators, local government officials, education materials and textbook publishers, NGOs, etc.). However, such diverse communities use and share information differently than trained, management information staff in central education ministries. Decentralization makes addressing the challenge of information access more difficult and yet more critical than ever before. To address this challenge, USAID’s Africa Bureau, in collaboration with the ADEA Working Group on Education Statistics (WGES), sponsored the development of the Education Automated Statistical Information System Toolkit (Ed*Assist)(1)
What is ED*ASSIST?
ED*ASSIST is a Windows-based software system designed for the collection, processing, and dissemination of education data, and for the planning and management of these activities. Using, among other things, the systems framework and parts of the modular projects developed by the NESIS pilot projects in Africa, Ed*ASSIST guides the users through the various phases of statistical information processing.
The program provides a base of proven standard software and a collection of techniques, illustrative examples, and related tools, which can dramatically shorten the education data collection and reporting cycle from years to months. Hence, ED*ASSIST can be used in decentralized and demand-driven environments, can be implemented quickly and can address multilingual needs. Its simplicity makes training users easier and enhances system sustainability. Implementation, depending upon the country, is possible in six months to one year.
ED*ASSIST is only one of the building blocks of a complete Education Management Information System (EMIS). The system was conceived to broaden the access and production of information in five specific ways:
- provide faster access to information,
- support decentralized information processing and access,
- integrate the key components of the information processing cycle,
- increase the ease of use and dissemination capacities of information systems so that non-participants—such as schools, provincial and district education offices, NGOs, etc.—can become active participants in the information flow,
- increase the sustainability of the system.
The Benin pilot experience
In 1996, the Benin Ministry of Education requested to be the first pilot country for implementation of ED*ASSIST. In less than a year and with limited staff, the Ministry of Education customized the ED*ASSIST Data Management System to provide three years of comparable primary education data. For each school year, the user can select easily and interactively from over 25 core indicators (access, efficiency, quality, equity, etc.), by different categories (private/public/both, national/regional/sub-prefecture), and in different data display formats (tabular/graphical). The program is geared to different users for strategic planning, management, or operational purposes.
Data for a fourth school year is about to be entered and edited in selected regional offices using ED*ASSIST. Training of regional office staff in the production and interpretation of standardized outputs is planned. A considerable benefit is that this training will allow them to produce their own reports based on their specific needs.
The Ministry of Education will also use ED*ASSIST to manage, monitor, and estimate the resources needed for education data collection activities such as the annual school census or the initial school year statistics. These activities include: the distribution and collection of questionnaires; identifying schools missed during questionnaire collection; and identifying bottlenecks in the data collection and processing work.
With ED*ASSIST’s tools and techniques, the Ministry can also easily produce a variety of data dissemination products (statistical yearbooks, bulletins, brochures, etc.), respond to ad hoc information requests, and export data into a variety of formats for further analysis.
Future plans
USAID continues to support ED*ASSIST in Africa. Kjell Nystršm, leader of the ADEA Working Group on Education Statistics (WGES) believes that ED*ASSIST is a powerful tool and an important contribution to the generic modules development within the NESIS framework. Thirty African countries indicated support and enthusiasm for ED*ASSIST following presentations made at regional workshops organized by the WGES in C™te d’Ivoire and Mauritius. Comments and feedback from the workshop participants and other interested partners have been incorporated into Version 1.0 of ED*ASSIST, which will be released in June 1997.
ED*ASSIST is also being considered for use in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, and the Near East. It will be presented as an innovative tool for educational policy and program development at USAID’s Human Capacity Development Conference for the 21st Century: Reaping the Results of Investment and Experience, and also at the Information Technology (IT) Learning Fair of the Centers for Population, Health and Nutrition, and Human Capacity Development. Arrangements are being made to establish a Web site for ED*ASSIST. Vivian Toro Kurt Moses and Johnson Sikes Academy for Educational Development(2)
Questions or inquiries relating to the ED*ASSIST system can be sent to: edassist@aed.org
or to Vivian Toro, Director
Information Technology Development
or Kurt Moses, Vice-President and Director
Academy for Educational Development (AED)
1255 23rd Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20037
Telephones: (202) 884-8168/ (202) 884-8275
Fax: (202) 884-8466
E-mails: vtoro@aed.org or kmoses@aed.org
ED*ASSIST integrates the key processes of an education statistical information system: data gathering, data processing, and data utilization. Its utilities facilitate importing and exporting data in different formats.
ED*ASSIST makes it easy for users to select and produce reports or graphics
concerning a variety of indicators for each school year.
(1) The development of ED*Assist was sponsored by USAID’s Africa Bureau in collaboration with the Association for the Development of Education in Africa. Software development of the program was managed by the Academy for Educational development (AED).
(2)The Academy for Educational Development (AED) is an independent, nonprofit service organization committed to addressing human development needs in the United States and throughout the world. It is registered with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) as a private voluntary organization
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