SDD Newsletter - September 2017

Building a Culture of Education Data Use in the Pacific

Successful delivery of capacity building and support to education systems, particularly in the Pacific, requires addressing both technical solutions and political challenges. To that end, the Pacific Community (SPC) is currently reinforcing its support to education statistical capacity in the region, The inherently political nature of educational systems sometimes results in difficulties in terms of using data for decision-making. Progress in educational outcomes is more achievable when we consider the intersection of what is both politically possible and technically sound.

Data Collection kiribati

Pacific Community digitalizes education data collection in Kiribati

Kiribati Education Ministry officials have recently been trained by the Pacific Community (SPC) to use tablets for collecting data that would inform the education sector’s performance.

SPC Education Management Information’s Systems Team Leader, Scott Pontifex explained that the officials and outer island representatives were trained to use the tablets for data collection from schools for important statistical reporting against the Sustainable Development Goals and Pacific Education Development Framework for example, as well as tracking performance of schools and the Ministry of Education (MOE) against the sector’s operational and strategic plans.

Pacific Ministers of Health Meeting

The Cook Islands hosted the twelfth Pacific Ministers of Health Meeting in Rarotonga from 28 to 30 August 2017. Ministers at the meeting again emphasised the importance of the collection of data on births, deaths and causes of death through civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) for the health sector, including for monitoring key regional priorities – such as the impact of non-communicable diseases – and reporting against the Healthy Islands Monitoring Framework and the Sustainable Development Goals. The importance of a multi-sectoral approach to CRVS and the need for ongoing improvement of health information systems was also noted, along with the need for regional cooperation and working with regional partnerships such as the Brisbane Accord Group (BAG) and the Pacific Health Information Network (PHIN).

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