Key elements of publication and dissemination
- Internal audiences for report dissemination
- External audiences for report dissemination
- Channels for information dissemination
- Communication strategies and protocols for engaging identified audiences
Many different internal and external stakeholders have an interest in education system performance. Information from the EMIS should be compiled and disseminated to stakeholders via a range of readily accessible platforms and channels.
Within the EMIS ecosystem, publication and dissemination is defined as:
The process of compiling and making education system performance reports and information available through online platforms and other communication channels to different internal and external audiences.
Explore these essential resources on data publication and dissemination:
- Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) A Guide for Young Managers – This guide provides a clear outline of data management in an EMIS, with relevance to publication and dissemination of data.
- Rethinking education management information systems: lessons from and options for less developed countries – This review of four country cases of EMIS implementation is relevant to the publication and dissemination of EMIS data to stakeholders
- Efficiency and Effectiveness in Choosing and Using an EMIS Guidelines for Data Management and Functionality in Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) – This guide comprises two main sections: a 'Buyer’s Guide' that refers to the standards of functionality a system ought to have, and a 'User’s Guide' that refers to how to make better use of an EMIS once a country has it. Section 6.2 outlines considerations for data publication and dissemination.
Steps to effective data publication and dissemination in EMIS
- Identify the internal audiences for report dissemination: Internal audiences may include EMIS unit staff, educational system planners, district, provincial and national decision-makers, teachers, school principals and administrators, MoE training and development coordinators, quality assurance unit staff, curriculum developers, and students.
- Identify the external audiences for report dissemination: External audiences may include parents/caregivers/guardians, civil society, the media, government agencies and departments involved in education or youth services (e.g., the Ministries of Finance and Health), education researchers, development partners, universities and research organizations, non-governmental organizations involved in education-related initiatives such as literacy development and feeding schemes, private sector organizations and employers with an interest in the education system, higher education providers, advocacy groups involved in issues such as gender equity and inclusion of children with disabilities, and technology and educational technology providers.
- Identify and establish suitable channels for communication and dissemination of information: Information can be shared with identified audiences in many ways. Examples include online platforms and dashboards with the functionality for stakeholders to query datasets and request their own reports, newsletters and information alerts disseminated by email, short message service (SMS) alerts, presentations made at briefings, conferences and community meetings, broadcast media (suitable for rural populations who may have more ready access to radios and television than the internet), mobile applications linked to the MoE website, and social media platforms and channels.
- Establish strategies and protocols for communicating with identified audiences about disseminated information: Dissemination of education system information via channels such as social media channels or platforms that have the functionality for users to engage by leaving comments or asking questions is an opportunity to involve stakeholders in gathering feedback about the system. Strategies and protocols should be set up to manage and monitor this type of engagement.
Publication and dissemination of key information about the education system via a range of channels is important because different internal and external audiences need access to information about the system’s performance.