Education in emergencies: The key role of crisis-sensitive information systems

UNESCO, supported by Education Cannot Wait (ECW), NORCAP and the Swedish International Development Association (SIDA), has published six case studies assessing institutional education information systems (EMIS) and the recurring challenges related to the generation and use of data to inform education in emergencies (EiE) strategies and programmes.

The case studies, conducted in Chad, Ethiopia, Palestine, South Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic and Uganda, contribute to the wider data agenda which emerged from the 2019 Education in Emergencies Data Summit and as part of UNESCO’s pledge to the fulfilment of the Global Compact on Refugees made at the first-ever Global Refugee Forum in 2019.

As outlined at the 2019 EiE Data Summit, one of the key challenges facing education in crisis-affected settings is the lack of accurate, reliable and timely data, needed to drive effective education responses.  Available data is typically fragmented, and its collection and use tend to mirror and reinforce misalignment between humanitarian and development programming. This leads to the inaccurate identification of vulnerable groups and their needs, insufficient and misallocated funding, inefficient policy and program interventions, and weak Education Sector Plans.

What the case studies reveal

Building on and contributing to UNESCO’s ongoing efforts towards strengthening EMIS in support of achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) and the Education 2030 Agenda, the case studies provide useful insights into strengthening coordination of EIE data between key institutions and partners and the opportunities and limits of data in increasing the resilience of education systems.

Drawing on existing EMIS assessment methodologies (i.e. Data Quality Assessment Framework (DQAF)) whilst prioritising the link to EiE, the case studies outline the observed challenges in relation to the institutional environment, data production, and data dissemination and use. Rich in contextual detail and analysis, they each conclude with concrete recommendations to better support national education systems in the collection, analysis and use of data to address systemic barriers to education for crisis-affected children and youth.

Whilst UNESCO recognizes the value of different crisis-related data sources for the specific needs of different stakeholders (i.e. Rapid Humanitarian Needs Assessments, REMIS), institutional information systems can be a valuable entry point for strengthening the humanitarian-development nexus and for promoting alignment, collaboration and longer-term planning.

Strengthened capacities to collect and use quality crisis-related data stand to enable national authorities to play a more effective leadership role in early planning for EiE and helping to promote continuity between emergency preparedness, response and recovery.

While the case studies underscore the importance of context and provide country-specific recommendations, several commonalities were observed and analysed in the “Strengthening EMIS and data for increased resilience to crises” synthesis paper. These shared challenges and recommendations provide a strong base of reference for work aimed at building crisis-sensitive institutional education information systems in view of supporting coordinated evidence-based decision making in emergencies and protracted crises.

These key recommendations include:

• Strengthening and linking legal, policy and institutional frameworks around EMIS, data and EiE.
• Reinforcing capacities, with a focus on sustainability.
• Maximizing impact through improved coordination.
• Increasing interoperability and integration to improve data quality and facilitate use across the humanitarian-development nexus.
• Building an EiE data culture that promotes accountability.

What’s next?

Following the findings and the suggestions outlined in the six case studies, and with the support of ECW, SIDA and NORCAP, UNESCO is now implementing the recommendations in three (3) pilot countries (Chad, Ethiopia, and South Sudan).

This second phase of the project – coordinated by the section of Education for Migration, Displacement and Emergencies (EME) and hosted by the Geneva Global EiE Hub - will provide country-level support, whilst feeding into regional and global level action to promote the alignment of data collected and used by education authorities and their partners.

With the technical support from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) and the International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP), and in direct collaboration with the Ministries of Education and humanitarian and development partners, UNESCO will directly contribute to:

• Establishing an enabling institutional environment that formalises roles, responsibilities and purposes for EiE data collection - including protocols for data sharing that consider aspects of protection, privacy and security
• Strengthening/developing crisis-sensitive, sustainable and harmonised institutional data collection tools and processes – in direct collaboration with humanitarian and development partners
• Supporting strategic use of data for coordinated EiE planning and monitoring
• Enhancing strategic, technical and financial commitment at global, regional and national level towards harmonised EiE data and crisis-sensitive institutional information systems

Through the documentation of best practices and lessons learned from the project and other relevant initiatives from around the world, UNESCO will elaborate international reference tools and guidelines for future interventions that tackle systemic challenges related to data in contexts affected by disasters, conflicts and protracted crises.

• UNESCO and Education in Emergencies
• Video: Strengthening education data systems in emergencies and crises: English – Arabic – French – Spanish
• "Strengthening education management information systems and data for increased resilience to crises" conference
• UNESCO pledges its renewed support for refugees’ education at Global Refugee Forum