A high-level international peer review of Liberia’s Education Management Information System (EMIS), led by the African Union Commission, through its Pan African Institute for Education for Development (AU-IPED), under the Global Partnership for Education’s Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (GPE KIX), a joint endeavour with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada, concluded today. The exercise, held from 1-2 September 2025 brought together education data experts from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia to assess the country’s EMIS against the continental AU EMIS Norms and Standards framework.
The review was officially opened by Liberia’s Assistant Minister for Planning, Research and Development, Mr. Thomas Parker, and Mr. Adoumtar, Head of AU-IPED. In his opening remarks, Mr. Adoumtar emphasized the critical nature of the initiative, stating, “Our meeting comes at the right time, because the Ministry… is willing to advance its efforts toward strengthening a unified and responsive data system, a critical tool for producing timely, accurate, and relevant information across the education sector.” He highlighted that the peer review provides a platform for multi-stakeholder engagement to review current data practices, identify gaps, and build consensus around policy directions.
The peer review mission, conducted under the KIX Africa 19 Hub, involved in-depth interviews with key departments within the Liberian Ministry of Education. Peer reviewers from partner countries engaged with senior management, planners, statisticians, ICT staff, and directors responsible for teacher management, examinations, and curriculum to understand the entire data lifecycle – from collection and validation to analysis and usage for decision-making.
The preliminary assessment identified several key challenges within Liberia’s EMIS, including:
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· Fragmented Data Systems: A lack of integration between critical systems, such as teacher records, exam results, and financial data, leading to inefficiencies and data gaps.
· Infrastructure and Resource Constraints: Limited funding, a lack of dedicated budget for EMIS, and insufficient technical equipment at regional and county levels hinder effective data collection and dissemination.
· Timeliness and Planning Cycles: A misalignment between data reporting timelines and planning cycles, affecting the ability to use data for real-time decision-making.
· Data Utilization: While data is collected, challenges remain in ensuring it is actively used by all departments for policy formulation, resource allocation, and performance monitoring.
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The insights and detailed recommendations from the peer review will be formally presented and discussed during a National Dialogue on EMIS, scheduled for September 3-5, 2025. This dialogue will convene a broader group of national stakeholders to validate the findings and collaboratively develop a concrete, costed Action Plan to address the identified challenges and strengthen Liberia’s education data system.
This peer review demonstrates a shared continental commitment to using evidence and innovation to improve learning for all African children.