1. CSTL Sharing Meeting 2016 Data Management for the Education Sector
South Africa
Coastlands Hotel – Durban, South Africa
22-24 November 2016

2. Presentation Outline
Vision of an Integrated Education Management System
Shape and size of administration system
Using a single Schools e-administration system
Integration of Data on SA-SAMS
Integrating Data Systems in the Education Sector
Holistic Data Driven Support to Children
Intergovernmental Protocol Agreements (DBE/DSD/SASSA /DHA)

3. Vision of an Integrated Education Management System
Single data source to have the same data at all levels
All data should be generated and collected from a single source system at institutional level (Standardizing data)
All operational and transversal systems must be integrated and available for use at both a provincial and national level
The reporting layer (or business intelligence) will be a single layer on top of the operational systems to provide one single integrated view of the truth
E- administration for up-to-date data
Save resources – no more recapturing with data entry mistakes
Easy to use and integrated system
Leads to more frequent uploads with operational data vs survey data
Apply better data quality assurance
Use systems with built in data integrity
Follow EMIS processes (QA and collection)
Improve accountability on district level using the data
Employ technical personel for user and data base support and quality assurance
The vision is to create a system that will assist all levels with
- data management
reporting on the performance of all in education
assisting with support and strategy in the districts / province

4. Shape and size of administration system
South African Schools Act No 84 of 1996 (s59) and the National Education Information Policy mandated the reporting by Principals on information as requested by the HOD. The requests manifested in a variety of reports e.g.
Quarterly Schedules with Learner performance analysis schedules ; Quarterly / Weekly attendance schedules
Ad hoc reports, including CSTL
Surveys : 10th Day SNAP and Annual School Survey
The timing, availability and quality of the data received influence the data collection processes
Past
Manual Capturing of Survey and Quarterly reports
Collect aggregated data
Manual submission
Present
Electronic Capturing
Reports and Survey generated from system
Collect data on granular level
“Manual “ electronic submission
Future
Online capturing
Reports and “Survey” to be date stamped data on the system
Submission on line
Data management and collection process
Evolution of

5. Using a single School e-administration system
Why using a standard system
Legislation & CEM decisions
Level of data administration & management at school level
Implementation of policies
Standardises information
Operational school data available for Districts, Province & on LURITS for DBE reporting
BI Report built on Provincial Data Warehouse showing information on district/ provincial level (reports dependent on SA-SAMS data fields).
Save resources – no recapturing, no alignment between different “data warehouses”
What influences using SA-SAMS
At School level: Knowledge of school admin & information management & reporting
District, provincial & national data needs– supporting information for reporting (MTSF & APP)
Multiple users of the same data (integrated system)– reduce duplication at schools & districts , increasing quality
System support & training
Timely updated releases
Quality assurance of data
Who , what , when and where – accountability of data owners at district/ province
Quarterly/ monthly reports generated and signed off by schools for accountability and audit trails
Maintenance of source documents

6. Integration of data on SA-SAMS
Standard data available for multiple usages , users and reports -> SAVING RESOURCES
UNIT Level Information
School info
Educator info
Learner info
class data
Assessments
ANA
Exam Learner registration
LTSM
NSNP/ Social Grant/Inclusive Eduction
Sport & enrichment programs
Attendance
WSE & IQMS
Disciplinary
SGB
Infrastructure, Asset management, Finance

7. Operational & Transversal Systems:
Integrating Data Systems in the Education Sector
BI Reporting Layer
Reporting:
National
Other Departments
DHA, DSD, SASSA
NEIMS
Exams
LURITS
Other
Data available from
Operational & Transversal Systems:
Provincial & National
-BI reports for district and province officials on program performance, school profile etc
- District: DDD
Provincial Warehouses
Data Source:
At individual School level
SA-SAMS &
other school administrative packages
School

8. Data can be used as the core link to children, ensuring & enabling holistic data driven support from the public sector
HOLISTIC DATA DRIVEN SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN
DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS
DEPARTMENT OF BASIC EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT/ SASSA
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
Department of Higher Education and Training
Civil Registration/ Identification of individuals, formal records (verified against)
Services to Children: Education, Social Care, Health Care, Nutrition & Safety, Training
Access to quality and improved Education; (Data verification, Intervention Planning)
Primary Health Care, Health Screening in schools, Teenage pregnancy (data triangulation)
Post School Education & Training; a skilled and capable workforce to support an inclusive growth path
Social Grants (school going –age attending school), Social Welfare

9. DBE/DSD/SASSA Protocol Agreement Background
As a result of the need to tackle child poverty and to improve educational outcomes through the provision of comprehensive social services and in terms of Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act, 2005 (Act No. 13 of 2005);
The Department of Basic Education (DBE), The Department of Social Development (DSD) and the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) have signed an Intergovernmental Protocol Agreement in March 2012 to establish a formal channel of information sharing and communication.
Protocol Agreement creates an intergovernmental mandate for the three organizations to collaborate mutually and to support each other i.e.
DBE’s aim to ensure every child’s right to quality basic education is progressively made available and accessible; and
DSD and SASSA’s aim to ensure the provision of comprehensive, integrated, vulnerability and poverty sustainable and quality social development services and provide a social protection system

10. DBE/DSD/SASSA Protocol Agreement: AIMS
The two Departments and Agency aimed to:
Create a constructive working relationship of mutual cooperation, support and assistance with regards to:
the sharing of information and best practices in combating poverty;
improving educational outcomes;
establishing formal channels of information sharing, communication and collaboration in rendering services by providing psycho-social support to vulnerable children, orphans and learners with disabilities, inclusive of support to the learning environment in rural and farm areas;
assisting and co-operating with each other in areas of mutual interest; and
complying with social assistance legislation relating to child support grants.
It is through this protocol that the Department and the Agency (DBE and SASSA) conduct data matches between the Learner Unit Record and Information Tracking System (LURITS) and the Social Pension System (SOCPEN) to verify data.
The data can be used to target interventions such as identifying a child who should be grant recipient but is not and joining efforts to ensure that they register and receive a grant.

11. DBE/DHA Protocol Agreement
The Learner Unit Record Information and Tracking System (LURITS): DBE System that stores individual records of learners and is able to track their movement from school to school.
- ID number (compulsory) to verify authenticity of learners
- Triangulation of learner data (with and without ID numbers) against the DHA’s
National Population Register (NPR).
As a result of a joint intervention programme between DBE and Home Affairs, CEM’s decision to make ID numbers compulsory and strict control measures on SA-SAMS, there’s an improvement of learners with ID numbers on LURITS and therefore true learner enrolment numbers by eliminating ghost learners.
Learner identity numbers from LURITS are matched/verified against the NPR confirming the ID numbers of learners submitted to LURITS;
Acquired ID numbers that have not been provided to LURITS through a methodology using Name, Surname and Date of Birth match from NPR;
The living status of all learners is verified against the NPR (elimination of non-existent learners on LURITS);
Manual process
LURITS II implementation to automate the data transfer
Modernised SA-SAMS

12. 1 August 2016 – True Learners (Non-Ghost) Based On Verified/Retrieved IDS From Home Affairs

13. CHALLENGES CHALLENGES
Challenges are being addressed at different levels and by different interventions. The following challenges however have to be addressed in the short and long term:
Administrative staff at schools to support SA-SAMS;
Circuit/District Systems Administrators to assist schools with SA-SAMS;
Rolling out and training by Provinces of SA-SAMS to all schools.
Programme managers collecting and owning data – only compulsory modules are being used
Funding: To change SA-SAMS into a Web-based System
Silos between Government Ministries to integrate systems
Access and security controls
Mitigation: Operation Phakisa – Accelerate ICTs in Schools
Modernisation of SA-SAMS Project, User Requirements Specifications
Steering Committees to manage Intergovernmental Relations

14. Comments and Questions from the Floor & Other Panellists.