| Dear readers, As education systems across the world have become more complex than ever, the importance of informed and evidence-based policy making is taking center stage nowadays. The value of timely, relevant and transparent data, as well as collecting, processing, and analyzing the many aspects of educational information is innumerable, whether it concerns teacher training, student retention rates, or school infrastructure. In this regard, Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) opens wider horizons for planning policies, monitoring and assessing the performance of the education systems and institutions, and acting on informed decision making. In light of this, this edition will focus on EMIS and ICT-supported planning. We hope you enjoy reading this edition! Please let us know if you have any comments or suggestions. | |  © Flickr/followtheseinstructions
| Highlights:
 Using ICT in Policy Planning and Management for Lifelong Learning (by UNESCO Bangkok, Education for Policy Reform/ICT in Education)
This article provides an overview of EMIS that can be utilized for various purposes, including in the developing country contexts. It provides the strengths of developing and investing in EMIS, while acknowledging the challenges and barriers within education systems. It also provides UNESCO based projects and platforms that support its Member States in this regard.
 Trends in the Evolution of Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) throughout the Asia-Pacific Region (by James Shoobridge)
This article further explores the potential and use of EMIS within education systems, setting it within the Asia-Pacific context, while analyzing the increase in global investment and regional trends in terms of EMIS development.
Programmes and Projects:
 UNESCO Institute for Statistics and ICT in Education Statistics
This article provides an overview of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) and its mandate, its data collection system and efforts for around 90 countries in the world.
 OpenEMIS: An Open-Sourced Education Management Information Systems (EMIS)
This article features the OpenEMIS initiative, which was developed by UNESCO in response to the growing need for EMIS progress and needs among its Member States, through the strong technical support of the Community Systems Foundation (CSF).
 Ministry of Education and UNESCO Strategic Plan for the Development of Myanmar EMIS
This meeting and project reflects the EMIS Strategic Plan, which was developed by UNESCO in close consultation with the MoE of Myanmar, a key programme in the National Education Sector Plan.
 Learning Enablers for Asia and Pacific (LEAP) programme
UNESCO Bangkok’s regional programme LEAP aims to develop capacity building of the Member States through the utilization of the Network on Education Quality Monitoring in the Asia-Pacific (NEQMAP) platform, which enhances the use of student learning assessment .
Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS)
This UNICEF programme aims to support governments in conducting household surveys, the findings of which are used for policy decisions and programme development, as well as shedding light on the current situation of children and women around the world. News and Events:
 World Teachers’ Day (5 October 2015, Paris, France)
World Teachers' Day calls for the empowerment of teachers to build sustainable societies. “Empowering teachers, building sustainable societies” is the slogan for this year, reflecting the journey towards Education 2030.
 UNESCO King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize for the Use of ICTs in Education
The UNESCO King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize for the Use of ICTs in Education rewards individuals, institutions, and NGOs for projects and activities that can serve as best practices in ICTs to enhance learning, teaching and educational performance. The theme of the 2015 Prize is “Pedagogical Innovation in the Use of ICT in Teaching and Learning.” Two prizewinners will be designated by UNESCO’s Director-General on the basis of the recommendations of an international jury. Each winner will receive a diploma and a monetary award (USD 25,000). Winners of the 2015 Prize will be announced and awarded during a ceremony at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris in early 2016.
 DEANZ Conference 2016 (17-20 April 2016, the University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand)
With the theme of “There and back: Charting flexible pathways in open, mobile, and distance education”, the conference will bring together practice and theory in the field of open, distance, flexible, and mobile learning in education to reflect on and discuss the possibilities of this theme. Final deadline for submission: 1 December 2015.
 The European Conference on Technology in the Classroom 2016 (June 29-July 3, 2016, Brighton, UK)
This conference invites academics and practitioners to share research and innovations in education, with the theme of “Convergence & Divergence”.
Resources:
 OpenEMIS
This is a free platform developed by UNESCO as open source EMIS, which can be easily customized by the Member States and the specific needs of their education systems. This flexible tool allows for its use in various settings in developing countries.
 The World Bank Data
This World Bank database is designed to make data easily available, according to country, topic, and indicator sections. The Country pages provide data for a single country throughout the years; topic pages focus on indicators for a given topic for all the countries and years; the indicator page provides data for all countries. The data can be downloaded as Excel sheets. Most of the data displayed on the website comes from the DataBank, which collects time series data, and can be used for slicing datasets, customizing queries, and creating charts.
 PovcalNet: an online analysis tool for global poverty monitoring
This World Bank computational tool and software helps estimate the poverty in the world through the World Bank’s built-in database. It also allows for inclusion of different assumptions and estimates for the calculation of poverty.
 Child Equity Atlas: Pockets of Social Deprivation in Bangladesh
The findings of the report highlight the need to target the most underprivileged communities in Bangladesh. The report analyzed the census data to identify social inequalities, and points for potential progress, focusing on out-of-school children.
New Publications:
 Teachers in Asia Pacific: Status and Rights
This UNESCO report is a synthesis of research studies conducted in eight countries: Cambodia, Indonesia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, Samoa, Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan. It examines the current trends and policies affecting teachers’ status, focusing on 10 areas: entry requirements; pre-service training; recruitment and deployment; workload; professional development; salaries; retirement; assessment; unions and school leadership.
 Transversal Skills in TVET: Policy Implications
This publication focuses on transversal skills in TVET, concentrating on possible policies for the Asia-Pacific region. It looks at various definitions and concepts around these skills and aims to ensure their actual implementation in TVET.
 Schooling Redesigned: Towards Innovative Learning Systems
This OECD publication explores the ways of transforming schools through innovation in practice, and how this innovation can take place.
Transforming Our World - Aiming for Sustainable Development: Using Independent Evaluation to Transform Aspirations to Achievements
The World Bank Group paper covers many areas related to the Sustainable Development Goals that have highlighted the importance of multi-sector approaches. As the challenges of the SDGs are complex, the solutions have to be contextualized and include multiple stakeholders. Next Issue: For November, ICT in Education will conduct a survey to gather readers' feedback, evaluate satisfaction, and identify new areas for further improvement of the e-newsletter. Contact/Feedback: : ict.bgk@unesco.org ICT in Education website: http://www.unescokk.org/education/ict View previous newsletters: http://www.unescobkk.org/education/ict/enewsletter | ICT in Education Fanpage | ICT in Education on Twitter | | 
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