By ESWIN PLESIO
THE West New Britain Provincial Government yesterday launched the e-School Census (eCensus) application in Kimbe, becoming one of the first provinces to embrace a digital system for collecting education data.
The application, developed by officers from the National Department of Education, allows education authorities to capture real-time information on schools, teachers, students, and school infrastructure. It replaces the paper-based census process with a faster, more accurate, and efficient digital platform to support planning, policy development, and service delivery.
The application was officially launched by West New Britain Governor Sasindran Muthuvel and the National Department of Education’s Acting Deputy Secretary for Policy and Provincial Support Directorate, Ms Sabati Mero.
Governor Muthuvel described the launch as an important milestone in the digital transformation of the province’s education sector.
“For many years, we have been collecting school data in a very slow manner, mostly paper-based and often inaccurate. This eSchool Census application will change that,” he said.
He said the platform would provide timely and reliable information on student enrolment, teacher deployment, school infrastructure and learning resources, allowing governments to make better decisions.
“It enables the government at all levels to allocate resources fairly and ensure support reaches the schools and students who need it the most,” Governor Muthuvel said.
Acting Deputy Secretary Ms. Mero commended West New Britain for taking the lead in embracing digital technology in education.
“West New Britain is leading the digital transformation. Let us embrace this change with open minds and shared determination,” she said.
Ms. Mero urged schools to ensure data is submitted under the correct school profile to avoid errors and confirmed the department would continue improving the system.
“We are working hard to add an offline feature so schools with poor internet can still use the application, ensuring no school is left behind,” she said.
She said the eCensus is one of several digital platforms introduced by the department, alongside systems for teacher resumption of duty, teacher pay queries, Government Free Education grant acquittals, school admissions and the “Where is My School” dashboard.
“The eCensus is about accountability, fair resource allocation and a smarter way of doing things to improve educational outcomes for our children,” she said.
West New Britain Division of Education Acting Executive Manager Vincent Kalatia welcomed the rollout of the application, saying it would strengthen education planning and improve the
delivery of services across the province.
The launch marks another milestone in the province’s efforts to modernise education management through digital innovation, ensuring accurate and reliable data is available to support planning, policy development and better learning outcomes for students across West New Britain.