In schools across Uganda’s Northern Region, a quiet but powerful shift is underway.

Until recently, key education decisions—whether about hiring teachers, building latrines, or supporting learners with special needs—were often made without reliable data to inform them.

But that is beginning to change, thanks to a GPE KIX research initiative led by the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) in collaboration with the Health Information Systems Program (HISP) Uganda and the Ministry of Education and Sports as local implementing partners.

This applied research project builds on an earlier initiative funded by NORAD and GPE KIX on data use innovations, which began in 2019.

Led by the University of Oslo and HISP Uganda, that work introduced data-use innovations in four Ugandan districts, aimed at empowering district-level managers with the tools for evidence-based planning and decision making.

Now, APHRC's Knowledge Innovation Exchange-Strengthening and Enhancing Education Data Systems (KIX-SEEDS) project is taking that momentum forward: focusing on scaling the education exemplar data system beyond the district to the school level to support better education outcomes.

Navigating decisions without reliable data

The lack of reliable, school-level data affected many aspects of education planning, including resource allocation and program implementation.

In some schools, this meant that learners with special needs struggled without basic accommodations like ramps or rails.

Identifying and addressing even the most urgent gaps was difficult, without evidence, teachers and administrators struggled to justify requests for more staff or facilities.

Streng thening education data systems with DHIS2

In response to longstanding data gaps, partners came together to launch the GPE KIX funded SEEDS project. This project aims to improve the collection, analysis and use of education data and data systems at local and regional level, not just nationally.

The Health Information Systems Program (HISP) Uganda, a regional hub specializing in health and education information systems, has adapted the District Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2) platform—originally developed for health data—for use in the education sector.

This adaptation is helping to fill critical gaps in school-level monitoring, resource allocation and cross-sector collaboration, by enabling real-time tracking of pupil enrolment, teacher shortages, and school-based health interventions such as malaria prevention, deworming and immunization campaigns.

By integrating data systems across sectors, the platform supports more informed planning, from allocating resources to coordinating efforts that improve both health and learning outcomes.

Building capacity to track progress where it matters

In April 2025, a team of researchers and data specialists from APHRC and HISP Uganda and policy makers from the Ministry of Education and Sports, toured schools in Gulu district, northern Uganda, using the DHIS2 platform to track and interpret data in real time.

Training has been key to ensuring the success of the project and that school-level data is accessible, reliable and actionable to end users.

According to HISP Uganda’s Program Coordinator, Florence Musinguzi, both online and in-person sessions were offered to teachers and school leaders, focusing on the basics of data management such as utilization of tools to make data accessible and actionable: “We’ve empowered them and trained them in data use and in how to interpret indicators”.

For example, over 100 participants attended a district-level training session where they learned to use School Report Cards, a tool that visualizes school-level data and helps identify gaps more easily and clearly.

Real change, real impact

For Florence Adokrach, Headteacher at Vanguard Primary School, the results are tangible: “This pr oject helps us enhance decision making when we face challenges. Through the data, you can analyze and see, for example, that you have too few latrines or classrooms. Then you begin to prioritize and make an informed decision to deal with the challenges your school faces.”

Denis Okot, Headteacher at Cwero Primary School, adds that clear data enabled his school to successfully request more teachers: “We wrote to the district with our learner and teacher numbers, showing the high pupil-teacher ratio relative to the national standard. Based on the data, the district assigned us more teachers. Now we have 24.”

The availability of accurate data has also empowered schools to leverage external support.

At one school, a headteacher partnered with GIZ (Germany’s development agency) on their Renewable Energy Program to install solar power in the school kitchen.

This move was backed by data showing that existing firewood costs could instead be used to buy 300 textbooks. In a village affected by deforestation, the data provided a compelling case for switching to solar energy.

Perhaps most striking is the change in how learners with special needs are now being supported. "We are able to plan for these learners,” says Jackline Akello, Acting District Education Officer, Gulu. “For example, we installed rails and ramps at Angaya Primary School because we knew, from the data, that we had children who needed them.”

A broader vision: research and data transform lives

Florence Musinguzi, DHIS2 for Education Project Coordinator at HISP Uganda, speaks to the sustainability and scale of the effort: “We hope to ensure that schools, districts and subnational units have data systems that are scalable, sustainable and cost-friendly. I dream of a Uganda where every teacher knows how to use data to make decisions and improve education for the African child.”

The presence of ministry officials, including the Commissioner for Basic Education, during the visit to Gulu District underscored a shared commitment: “We are working as a team - Ministry, HISP Uganda, APHRC, and the schools themselves - to contribute to this program.”