Extend deadline for Nemis registration, teachers request
Teacher unions are urging the Ministry of Education to prolong the deadline for enrolling students in primary schools in the National Education Management Information System (Nemis).
The registration period in the web-based data management system lapsed at midnight on Easter Monday. The Kenya Primary Schools Heads Association (Kepsha) and the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) reported that heads of educational institutions were facing network issues that hindered data input into the Nemis portal.
“For the last two weeks, the majority of heads of institutions have been unable to complete the forms in the portal to register students under Nemis, prompting the request for a few additional days for the deadline,” stated Kepsha national chairperson Fuad Ali.
He advocated for a swift upgrade of the Nemis system to resolve the technical difficulties encountered by headteachers and expedite the registration of students.
“Registering students under Nemis will allow the Ministry of Education to compute capitation funds for individual schools when they reconvene for the second term on February 28, 2025. Heads of institutions have been tirelessly working to register students as mandated by the ministry, but many have not succeeded,” Mr. Ali informed reporters on Tuesday.
Nemis was launched by the Ministry of Education on July 31, 2017, with 600 schools participating in a pilot project prior to a complete rollout in January 2018.
As of 2024, over 10. 4 million students had been enrolled in both public and private primary schools nationwide, as per the Ministry of Education.
To enroll students, a head teacher is sent a code via email which is used to log into the portal and complete the necessary information. However, there have been grievances concerning delays or the lack of issuance of the code required to access the system.
Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) secretary-general Collins Oyuu backed the request for an extension, stating it was essential for students who may face exclusion from the system.
“If there are obstacles preventing students or heads of institutions from effectively capturing students’ information, the deadline ought to be extended to ensure everyone can be onboarded,” remarked Mr. Oyuu.
He urged the Ministry of Education to respond to the requests from heads of institutions to facilitate the registration of all students, which is crucial for adequate planning and funding.
“It benefits no one to leave any student out of the registration process,” he said.
Speaking in Bomet County, Mr. Oyuu stressed that access to education is a fundamental right for every child and should be bolstered through government support.
“We are making a respectful appeal to the ministry to provide teachers with a little more time to gather students’ information, considering the network challenges encountered in recent weeks,” he added.
Capitation funds
The Ministry of Education only disburses capitation funds for students registered in the Nemis portal and not for those merely recorded in a school’s physical register.
“For instance, if a school has 800 students and only 200 are registered on Nemis, the ministry will not acknowledge the remaining 600 even if they are physically present in school and recorded in the school’s hard copy register,” stated Knut’s first national chairman Malel Langat.
A significant challenge in registering students in Grades 1–3 has been the absence of birth certificates, which heads of institutions report has continued for years.
“Students under the guardianship of relatives, particularly their grandparents, frequently lack birth certificates. This is an urgent issue that the government needs to tackle. These young children require assistance in obtaining essential registration documents,” mentioned a head teacher in Bomet County.
A birth certificate is necessary to create an examination assessment number for the student. Nemis subsequently assigns each student a Unique Personal Identifier (UPI) which they utilize throughout their educational path. The system also logs each student’s place of birth, parents’ information, schools attended, and academic achievements.
The Nemis also utilizes the Nemis registration data to allocate textbooks to schools. Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogambo recently highlighted the significance of Nemis in school administration.
“Nemis serves a vital function in the administration of educational institutions, especially in determining government funding,” Mr. Ogambo remarked during a recent visit to Konoin and Sotik constituencies in Bomet County.
