The Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA), a UNESCO Category II Centre of Excellence for West Africa based at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), has organised a one-day capacity-building workshop on accurate and timely education data collection at the district level.

The workshop, held in Saltpond in the Central Region, brought together Schools Improvement Support Officers (SiSOs), Planning Officers, Statistical Officers, and Training Officers of the Ghana Education Service (GES). Its primary aim was to strengthen the data collection competencies of these key personnel to improve the reliability of the Education Management Information Systems (EMIS).

In his opening remarks, the Director-General of IEPA, Professor Michael Boakye-Yiadom, emphasised the importance of quality data in educational planning and policy.
“If we don’t collect accurate data, everything we do will go wrong. Designing training programmes and formulating policies based on flawed data will only lead us into deeper trouble,” he cautioned.

Prof. Boakye-Yiadom acknowledged that statistical and planning officers are often excluded from such trainings and assured participants that IEPA is committed to changing that narrative. He urged them to take the workshop seriously and to share the knowledge gained with colleagues who could not attend.
Also present was the Central Regional Director of Education, Dr. (Mrs.) Juliette D. Otami, who commended the initiative. She encouraged participants to participate in similar programmes in the future, stressing the importance of reliable data in enhancing teaching and learning across districts.
“This training is not just timely but instructive,” she said. “I am confident participants are now better equipped to collect, analyze, and present data that informs effective policymaking.”

On the sidelines of the event, Dr. Osman Tahidu Damba, Secretary-General of the Ghana Commission for UNESCO, praised IEPA for its leadership in addressing the educational data gap in Ghana.
“IEPA has helped bridge a critical leadership gap in the education sector. UNESCO will continue to support such workshops across the country so that more GES staff can benefit,” he noted.
Edward Tamakloe, a Statistical Officer from the Awutu Senya East Municipality and one of the participants, described the workshop as enlightening. “This has given us a clear direction. We now possess the right skills to gather accurate and reliable educational data,” he said.