Vanuatu accords high priority to education. Major efforts have been directed towards enhancing educational opportunities, quality and relevance and Open VEMIS (Vanuatu Education Management Information System) is an important tool for effective decision making towards realising these national goals. Informed decision-making in education requires accurate and timely information which shows the relationships between resource inputs to the teaching and learning process and student achievements. Linking Open VEMIS to agencies and institutions in education and other sectors that are engaged in educational activities is therefore important.
Participating in SPC’s review of data usage in the Pacific signals Vanuatu’s belief that information is crucial for informed decisions on planning, policy and programme development, and resource allocation across government.The emerging demands for high-quality and timely information from a wide range of stakeholders have alerted the Ministry to improve its management efforts to meet these demands.Vanuatu has come a long way and according to high level officials in government, the importance of data cannot be over emphasised.
This review of data usage however will identify key challenges in the current information management process which can then assist Vanuatu’s efforts in ensuring evidence-based policy and program directions. It is anticipated that the findings from this review will further strengthen the purpose of the Open VEMIS to combine all information related to the management of educational activities, and to make it accessible to a variety of users. The users include Education, Finance and Health sectors and other line Ministries of government, regional and international development partners, financial controllers, planners, policy advisers, political leaders and local communities, as well as parents and students. In this way, the combined information resources of the Open VEMIS provides service to the entire community.
In addition, as part of SPC’s support for education data management in its member countries, a training workshop focussing on the collection, verification, analysis and use of data for management purposes is planned in November 2017 for school principals, teachers and administrative staff from each province in Vanuatu in partnership with the Vanuatu Education Support Programme (VESP).