In a significant step towards enhancing the quality of education in Ghana, Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has inaugurated the School Licensing and Inspection Management System (SLIMS), a pioneering initiative by the National Schools Inspectorate Authority (NaSIA).
The launch event, on Wednesday at the Alisa Hotel Accra, is aimed to revolutionize educational administration in private and public schools to enhance efficiency, and accountability by streamlining inspection planning and execution, automating report generation, and ensuring immediate and transparent transactions.
During his address, Vice President Dr. Bawumia commended NaSIA for its innovative efforts in transforming education regulation with the introduction of SLIMS.
He stated, “The system essentially represents the Government’s commitment to using technology to transform education and guarantees that every child in Ghana has access to a high-quality education.”
Dr. Bawumia again stressed the vital contribution of private education providers to Ghana’s educational landscape. Acknowledging a historical lack of regulation prior to 2017, the NPP administration pledged in its 2016 manifesto to enhance collaboration with the private sector for quality education delivery. This commitment he indicates has materialized through the establishment of NaSIA, tasked with overseeing private schools.
“In 2017, when the Akufo-Addo-led administration set out to fulfill the promises we made in our 2016 Manifesto. This included shifting the structure and content of our education system. We have clothed the National Schools Inspectorate Authority (NaSIA) with the needed regulatory powers for efficient supervision and regulation of pre-tertiary schools. This has empowered, strengthened, and equipped the Authority as an independent body to fully carry out its mandate leading to the development of SLIMS” Dr. Bawumia said.
Dr. Hilda Haggar Ampadu, the Inspector General of Schools at NaSIA, expressed her gratitude for the support received from the government and stakeholders in implementing SLIMS.
She remarked, “The launch of SLIMS marks a significant milestone in our journey towards enhancing educational quality and accountability in Ghana. This system will streamline our inspection and licensing processes, eliminate constraints occasioned by limited resources and tedious processes and also empower schools with the tools they need to improve teaching and learning outcomes.”
Before the Authority’s comprehensive digitalization agenda in June 2019, school inspections were laboriously carried out manually, resulting in mountains of paperwork and significant delays in generating inspection reports.
The licensing process was equally cumbersome, impeding progress. To tackle these challenges head-on, the Authority revamped its Inspection Evaluation Framework (IEF), Inspection Handbook, and digitized forms. This overhaul significantly streamlined the inspection process, slashing the average inspection time per school from a week to just a day, and condensing the inspection report length from a hefty 46 pages to a concise 10 pages.
Presently, the Authority has successfully implemented the Inspection and Licensing Modules, with the remaining three modules underway, promising even further enhancements for seamless processes.
SLIMS will be accessible through a password-controlled login, and features mini dashboards for schools to track their progress and submit data seamlessly to the Ministry of Education’s dashboard.