Protecting education from attack: EiE data in Burkina Faso

In Burkina Faso, the ongoing conflict has forced thousands of schools to close. As of February 2024, according to the Ministry of Education, 5,336 schools were shut, amounting to more than 20% of the total number of schools in the country. These closures are affecting more than 820,000 students and 24,000 teachers.

"We live in a country where the territorial control of the government evolves quickly,” explains Benjamin Kohoun, from the Technical Secretary for EiE at the Ministry of Education. 

To break the cycle of conflict, it is critical to protect schools from insecurity. Being able to rapidly assess educational needs has also been essential. 

“It is important for us to be able to rapidly assess which schools are reopened once the government reestablishes control of a given area.” 

To address these challenges, IIEP supported the integration of Education in Emergencies (EiE) data into the country’s Education Management Information Systems (EMIS). The Ministry of Education was able to develop new EiE data collection tools to monitor the status of closed schools, delocalized and reopened schools as well as displaced students, and to update their annual school census questionnaires, resulting in a better integration of data, especially during crisis. 

“The integrated EMIS system helps us inform the central government on school reopening shortly after a territorial change,” says Kohoun. 

Going global 

Building on this experience, IIEP has developed a Guidance Note to help other countries institutionalize EiE data. This note draws on lessons from Burkina Faso, as well as other existing resources, to enhance global coordination among governments, humanitarian, and development partners. By working together, these entities can reduce risk, build education system resilience, and improve the production and use of EiE data within an EMIS.

EiE data is vital for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 and ensuring that no one is left behind. However, accessing accurate data can be challenging due to fragmentation and limited availability.

Strengthening EiE data systems, which is key to effective crisis-sensitive educational planning, helps identify educational barriers and fosters the long-term resilience of education systems. 

The Guidance Note addresses key problems around the production and use of EiE data, including data fragmentation, the creation of parallel systems, lack of readily available, reliable national data, weak coordination, inadequate capacity, differences in the use of definitions, indicators, and reference populations, limited data sharing, and lack of coherence across humanitarian and development actors.