The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Health to integrate national education and health data systems in a major push to improve planning, service delivery and child welfare across The Gambia.

The agreement will link the Education Management Information System (EMIS) with the Health Management Information System (HMIS), allowing both ministries to securely share data for the first time on a coordinated scale.

Officials said the initiative will strengthen school-based health interventions including health screenings, deworming programmes, immunisation campaigns, nutrition support, and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) activities nationwide.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, officials said the partnership supports the government’s National Development Plan (“Yiriwaa”), which places human capital development at the centre of national growth strategy.

Under the new framework, data such as birth registration records, immunisation history, nutrition status and health screening results will be integrated with education indicators including school enrolment, attendance levels and learning outcomes.

Authorities say the system will help identify vulnerable children earlier, improve targeting of interventions, and strengthen efforts to reduce the number of out-of-school children across the country.

The ministries also say the linkage between health and education databases will help verify school enrolment against national birth records, a move expected to improve accuracy in reporting and support the government’s “zero out-of-school children” ambition.

The MoU establishes a joint technical working group made up of data, planning and programme specialists from both ministries, tasked with overseeing implementation and ensuring secure data management.

Officials describe the initiative as a step toward a more integrated public service system where health and education policies are guided by real-time, evidence-based data.

By Adama Makasuba