GPE knows well that quality education data is essential to inform planning and policy decisions by governments in the developing countries it supports. Without data, it is impossible to build effective, resilient and accountable education systems.  Equally, aggregated data is critical to inform global education policy and monitor progress towards SDG 4.

However, most developing countries lack robust and comprehensive education information systems, and the tools to communicate and visualize data that are needed by governments and partners to target their resources where the need is greatest.

Bringing partners together around a shared purpose

GPE helps strengthen developing countries’ education systems and provides funding to improve data collection and analysis. However, the education data challenge is massive, pervasive and urgent. All partners recognize that more needs to be done.

In February 2018, GPE launched the Education Data Solutions Roundtable in Senegal. The roundtable’s goal is to leverage local/regional, private and development partners’ expertise to improve the availability and use of accurate and timely education data at country and global levels.

Members of the Data Roundtable include senior representatives from developing country governments, the business community (HP, Econet, Intel, Tableau, MasterCard, Microsoft, Ecobank), business foundations (Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, Aga Khan Foundation), the World Bank, UNICEF, UNHCR and UNESCO and its institutes, donors (including DFID and NORAD) regional partners and civil society.

Over the past months, partners identified key challenges impacting data systems. In New York tomorrow, the partners will gather again to discuss the progress made to date and call for leadership and increased investments to drive education data solutions.

Focusing on 3 key challenges

The Data Roundtable initially focused on three questions:

1. What additional support do countries need to improve their data systems and ensure a more effective use of data?
2. How can public and private partners work together to identify innovative solutions to enhance the use of data at country and global level?
3. What new global investments can be made to improve the collection and use of data?

Based on the answers to these questions, it identified three critical areas where developing countries need support and where the expertise of the full range of partners could best be leveraged:

1. Better tools for education information management

Developing country governments often use “off the shelf” systems that are not suitable to deal with the scope and scale of the information they need. In addition, many data systems are not compatible and hence data cannot be aggregated at a regional or global level.  Partners will agree on a process to develop the specifications of a sustainable data information system to meet the needs of GPE partner countries.

2. Better data communication and visualization tools

The needs of those who use data can be quite diverse, ranging from school teachers to parents to ministry officials and global partners. Yet data are only useful if they are understood. For data to have impact it is critical that they can be displayed in a simple and meaningful way. The roundtable will make recommendations for the design and use of data communication and visualization tools.

3. Integration of data across different systems to produce holistic school-level information

Typically, a number of education data systems in developing countries – such as those for learning assessments and financial or personnel management – are not integrated with basic administrative data systems. The roundtable will make recommendations on what is required to ensure better integration of education data systems.

Connecting the data work and GPE’s new Knowledge and Innovation Exchange

GPE’s knowledge and innovation exchange (KIX) mechanism will invest in global and regional efforts to accelerate the development and adoption of solutions to key education policy challenges. The outcomes of the roundtable will feed into GPE’s KIX workstream currently under development.