Gambia Education Ministry Warns Schools Against Inflating Enrollment Data as It Shifts to Digital Census

By Seedy Jobe

The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education warned school officials Monday against inflating enrollment figures as the education sector prepares to adopt a fully digital system for collecting national school census data.

The caution comes as the ministry rolls out digital tools for the 2025–2026 National School Census, equipping public schools with laptops and Virtual Private Network routers to support online data submission.

Officials say the transition to digital data collection is intended to strengthen accountability, improve the allocation of education resources, and ensure more reliable records of students’ learning experiences.

Speaking at a training session for school managers at the Regional Education Directorate 1 in Kanifing, systems administrator Ousman Saine said the credibility of the census will depend largely on the accuracy of information submitted by school officials and the responsible use of the digital platform.

Mr. Saine said the ministry, through its Planning, Policy Analysis, Research, and Budgeting Directorate, has conducted nationwide training sessions for administrators from public, private, and madrassa schools on the use of the DHIS2 platform for digital data collection and management.

The initiative forms part of a broader education reform effort led by Basic and Secondary Education Minister Habibatou Drammeh, aimed at modernizing data management across the sector.

Mr. Saine said monitoring systems have been put in place to help detect inconsistencies and maintain transparency throughout the data collection process. The ministry said it will continue training school managers nationwide as preparations for the census proceed.