Using real-time, disaggregate, national education data to drive inclusive school enrolment and attendance in fragile and conflict-affected settings

In South Sudan, ongoing conflict and economic crisis are driving forced migration and family poverty, impacting school attendance and exacerbating barriers to inclusive, sustainable education for children, especially... [ view full abstract ]

In South Sudan, ongoing conflict and economic crisis are driving forced migration and family poverty, impacting school attendance and exacerbating barriers to inclusive, sustainable education for children, especially girls.

Under the DFID Girls’ Education South Sudan programme, the South Sudan Schools’ Attendance Monitoring System (www.sssams.org) uses mobile technology to manage real-time, fully disaggregate data on pupils and teachers, including live attendance reports sent via free SMS. Despite ongoing conflict, in 2016 >1.3 million children were enrolled from >3,500 schools.

In the context of widespread displacement, there is potential for SSSAMS to track pupils as they move within or across borders, maintaining individual educational records to support continuous learning and ensure no pupil is ‘left behind’.

This presentation will discuss how real-time information systems can be scaled up to support inclusive attendance and enrolment and help the education sector respond to the impacts of conflict, ensuring sustainable education in fragile settings.