Understanding your Device and Operating Environment

Strengthening Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) and Data for Increased Resilience to Crises — COUNTRY CASE STUDY: SOUTH SUDAN (UNESCO, 2021 PDF). 

This study …

• Is an education-sector case study focused on South Sudan and explicitly examines how EMIS and other education data systems operate during crises, including Education in Emergencies (EiE).  
• Documents practical, field-level problems encountered when moving from paper to electronic tools (tablets, mobile phones, EMIS systems), and it recommends operational fixes that are directly relevant to Ministry of Education officials.  

What technical problems the report covers

• Connectivity and network coverage — poor/irregular mobile/internet coverage in many counties prevents real-time uploads and forces offline workflows.  
• Power/charging — limited access to reliable electricity for charging tablets/phones in remote locations.  
• Device availability & logistics — procuring, distributing and maintaining enough tablets/phones (and replacement batteries) for enumerators is difficult.  
• Software instability & insufficient piloting — apps need thorough testing (bugs are hard to fix once deployed in low-connectivity contexts). The report highlights the need for design, testing and iterative fixes before rollout.  
• Training & capacity — limited digital literacy among data collectors and Ministry staff (training and refresher support required).  
• Data quality, harmonisation & interoperability — multiple systems (EMIS, cluster, humanitarian datasets) collect overlapping data with different definitions, creating cleaning and merging problems.  
• Security & access — protecting sensitive data (e.g., displaced children) and establishing safe data-sharing protocols in insecure areas.