The Education Management Information System:a key element to effectively monitor and evaluate a country’s educational strategies

A properly designed and implemented Educational Management Information System (EMIS) assures precise, fluid and timely datasets which can be effectively used to monitor and evaluate national strategies. Data needs to be easily interpreted and a powerful EMIS is able to provide tools to extract the insights required by the policy makers and decision takers. As it is not only an IT tool or a database, but rather a multi-faceted framework that includes technological and institutional provisions for information collection, processing, and dissemination in an educational scheme, an EMIS is vital for monitoring changes, ensuring data quality and prompt reporting of significant planning and management information. The expanded scope of the fourth Sustainable and Development Goal within the UN’s 2030 Agenda pushes EMIS to go far beyond administrative information, to information that can inform long-term instructional outcomes policies. EMIS should also investigate the connection between academic results and other socio-economic development industries, such as poverty alleviation, health, and jobs. This paper highlights the role and the importance of an effective EMIS in monitoring and evaluating the Romanian national strategies in education as part of the country’s effort to align to the international educational standards regarding the access, participation and quality.