Data Must Speak: Country Initiatives
Explore how this UNICEF education initiative works around the world.
UNICEF’s Data Must Speak Initiative (DMS) helps countries unlock existing data to expand access to education and improve learning for all. DMS provides direct technical assistance in Chad, Madagascar, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, the Philippines, Togo and Zambia. Our profile cards have also been a source of inspiration in countries like Kenya and Uganda.
Explore some of our activities and tools that have been adapted in participating countries to help turn data into knowledge.
Madagascar
In Madagascar, DMS has supported the development, production and use of district and school profile cards that provide comparative education data. The profile cards are shared with policymakers, school management and community members to catalyse discussions on how to improve school performance.
- General presentation of the DMS initiative in Madagascar
- Profile cards (school, ZAP, CISCO)
- User manuals (school, ZAP, CISCO)
- Simplified user manuals (school, ZAP)
For further information, please contact Sophie Achilleas (sachilleas@unicef.org).
Nepal
In Nepal, DMS helped develop an equity index that can be used to inform government planning and budgeting and direct support to lagging school districts. The Government of Nepal used the index in 2016–17 to identify the five most disadvantaged districts and provide additional funding to reduce the number of out-of-school children in those districts.
- General presentation of the DMS initiative in Nepal
- Equity index
For further information, please contact Mark Waltham (mwaltham@unicef.org).
Philippines
In 2016, the Government of the Philippines, with support from DMS, developed a hardship index to determine the level of special allowances to teachers working in the most challenging areas – with the aim of deploying and retaining experienced teachers in disadvantaged schools. The index combines factors of hardship, including travel times, Internet access and municipality poverty levels. Teachers contributed to the development of the index through face-to-face consultations and online surveys.
- General presentation of the DMS initiative in the Philippines
- Special hardship allowance
- Teacher hardship online survey
For further information, please contact Teresita Filipe (tfilipe@unicef.org) or Isy Faingold (ifaingold@unicef.org).
Togo
In Togo, DMS has supported the development, production and use of district and school profile cards that provide comparative education data. The profile cards are shared with policymakers, school management and community members to catalyse discussions on how to improve school performance.
- General presentation of the DMS initiative in Togo
- Profile cards (community, pre-primary, primary, secondary, inspection)
- User manuals (school profiles, inspection)
For further information, please contact Yannig Dussart (ydussart@unicef.org).
Zambia
In Zambia, DMS has supported the development, production and use of district and school profile cards that provide comparative education data. The profile cards are shared with policymakers, school management and community members to catalyse discussions on how to improve school performance.
- General presentation of the DMS initiative in Zambia
- Profile cards (community, school, district, province)
- Profile guidances (school, community)
- User manual for the creation of school, district and provincial profiles
For further information, please contact Christabel Musonda (chmusonda@unicef.org) or Hideko Miyagawa (hmiyagawa@unicef.org).