FG Sets July 1 For National Digital Education Database Rollout

The Federal Government will launch its Digital National Education Information Management System, DNEMIS, on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, as part of efforts to replace paper-based and fragmented education records with a single digital database.

National Project Coordinator of the Special Programmes Operations and Implementation Unit in the Office of the Minister of Education, Mr. Adebayo Onigbanjo, announced this in Abuja on Monday.

He said more than 32 million students have already been captured on the platform ahead of the rollout.

DNEMIS, he explained, will serve as the foundation of the Nigeria Education Data Infrastructure, NEDI, under the broader Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative, NESRI.

The system is expected to provide policymakers with reliable and updated information for planning, budgeting and education service delivery.

Onigbanjo said education decisions were previously made with limited information because records were scattered, inconsistent or unavailable.

He said DNEMIS will capture data on learners, schools, teachers and education spending in one system to support evidence-based planning.

He described the platform as a strategic national asset that will improve governance, transparency and accountability.

On out-of-school children, Onigbanjo said accurate data would help the government identify areas with high dropout rates, understand the causes and direct resources where they are most needed.

“If you don’t measure, you can’t manage,” he said. “With 32 million students already on the platform, we can see where they are, track their journey from entry to exit, and identify gaps. Every school becomes visible, every student is counted, every teacher is known, and every education expense can be tracked. That will cut wastage to a large extent.”

He added that the long-term plan is to track every child from the first day of school until they leave the education system, allowing government to improve planning and learning outcomes.

On privacy concerns, Onigbanjo said DNEMIS was built on the globally recognised DHIS2 architecture with safeguards to protect sensitive information.

He said sensitive details would be masked, while digital identity profiles would allow authorised users to access information without exposing personal data.

Also speaking, the National Coordinator of NEDI, Abubakar Isah, said the system complies with Nigeria’s data protection laws and global security standards.

“We are taking every necessary precaution to ensure this data is secure,” he said.

He said schools and states would have access to their own records, while communities, alumni and partners would access non-sensitive school data to support school improvement and accountability.

The Special Adviser to the Minister on Digital Communications and E-Learning, Miss Mojoyin Adebajo, described DNEMIS as a major step for digital education in Nigeria.

She said the system would digitise the Annual School Census and provide data on schools, teachers, learners and infrastructure across the country.

Adebajo also disclosed that the July 1 event would include the launch of a Public DNEMIS Portal.

She said researchers, journalists, civil society organisations, development partners and members of the public would, for the first time, have access to selected official education data through an interactive online platform.

Adebajo said the project reflects the Ministry’s commitment to transparency and improved outcomes for learners.

The Ministry also thanked UNICEF and the University of Oslo for technical support and invited stakeholders to the unveiling and inauguration of DNEMIS State Implementation Teams.