Sofis Solutions participates in the virtual forum "Digital Data Management in the Education System. FOMILENIO II's Contribution to Modernizing MINED's Information Systems."

San Salvador, September 9, 2020.

The Ministry of Education of El Salvador (MINED) has taken a significant step toward its digital transformation and improving the efficiency of educational management through the implementation and launch of the Salvadoran Educational Management Information System (SIGES). This comprehensive management system centralizes data from students, teachers, and educational institutions nationwide, enabling the generation of early warning alerts and educational indicators that serve as vital tools for decision-making.

On September 4, a virtual forum titled "Digital Data Management of the Education System: FOMILENIO II’s Contribution to Modernizing MINED’s Information Systems" was held. The panel featured Lic. Soledad Cardenal, Education Quality Manager at FOMILENIO II; Eng. Gustavo Cirigliano, CEO of Sofis Solutions; and Mtr. Pablo Zoido, Education Specialist at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The discussion focused on real-time data management, the importance of educational indicators for informed decision-making, and the impact and sustainability of SIGES at a national level.

This forum was held as part of the closing of the consultancy "Design and Implementation of an Educational Management System for the Ministry of Education", whose main outcome is the SIGES platform. The project was carried out with technical and financial support from FOMILENIO II and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), alongside a counterpart contribution from the Government of El Salvador. The system benefits the educational community, parents and guardians, and the public in general.

The first presentation was delivered by Lic. Soledad Cardenal, who shared FOMILENIO II's efforts to strengthen the National Education System through the Human Capital Project, which aims to improve the quality of education and technical-vocational training by developing the skills and competencies required by the labor market.

She also highlighted the challenges and opportunities during the improvement process of MINED’s data system. Her intervention focused on the information flow that will enable the generation of educational indicators to support decision-making for the betterment of El Salvador's education system.

"SIGES has many strengths, including the ability to timely detect early warning signs that could lead to school dropout, through tracking student absenteeism, as well as generating data for institutions such as UNICEF that work for child welfare and data relevant to the Ministry of Health, among others. Undoubtedly, this is one of SIGES's major achievements,” stated Lic. Cardenal.

Next, Eng. Gustavo Cirigliano, CEO of Sofis Solutions, presented "Real-time Data Management: SIGES as a Decision-making Tool in El Salvador’s Education System". His presentation focused on the importance of having unified, integrated, and reliable information sources to make data-driven decisions aligned with institutional goals and initiatives.

According to Eng. Cirigliano: "Beyond the data generated by SIGES, what's interesting is how this data can be transformed into information, and that information into knowledge, which will be useful for the various actors involved in the educational decision-making process."

He also presented various tools tailored to different hierarchical levels of the institution, such as: at the classroom level (predictive dashboards per student to track early warning signs and dropout risks); at the school level (school information systems); at the departmental level (data by municipality and department); and at the central level (information covering the entire national education system).

Some of the key takeaways and recommendations shared by Eng. Cirigliano include the importance of data-based decision-making for policy development and improvement actions; that SIGES offers a single, timely, and shared starting point for managing information; that MINED faces the challenge of advancing toward the use of real-time critical data; and that there is a valuable opportunity to generate knowledge that can improve management across the national education system.

The third presentation, delivered by Mtr. Pablo Zoido, focused on improving education system management and implementing public policies. He shared data on per-student investment in public education across various countries and its correlation with student learning outcomes at age 15. He highlighted the strong relationship between investment levels and educational performance. For instance, countries like Paraguay or the Dominican Republic show lower learning results compared to Peru, Colombia, or Uruguay, which achieve better outcomes with similar investment levels.

Mtr. Zoido explained: "The relationship between inputs and outcomes in education systems is evidently mediated by the policies and institutions that govern the system. But more specifically, it’s how these policies are implemented—through management processes and effective access to educational services—that ultimately improves educational quality. This leads to better learning outcomes, lower dropout rates, increased appreciation for schooling, and better educational quality. This is where educational management systems like SIGES and other systems supported by the IDB across the region come into play."

Finally, Lic. Edgard Ábrego, Technical Assistance Manager at the Ministry of Education, delivered remarks on behalf of the Minister of Education, Mtr. Carla Hananía de Varela. He stated: "As the Ministry of Education, we are very pleased to have an information system that allows us to manage education in a different way... I share a hopeful message about the future, which will be better for everyone. Based on the value we derive from SIGES—now the largest system in El Salvador—this platform becomes the country’s most comprehensive data repository, recording the personal information of 1.3 million children, enabling us to monitor their schooling from initial enrollment to successful graduation."

"I also want to thank Sofis Solutions and Eng. Gustavo Cirigliano, who, together with his team, identified our needs, helped us refine our analyses, and effectively translated those needs into this information system," added Lic. Ábrego.

The impact of SIGES is evident, as it becomes the main information source to enhance management across all levels of the Ministry of Education (MINED). It facilitates school administration, provides mobile apps for teachers and guardians to access academic information on students, and fosters closer engagement with citizens through digital tools that streamline administrative processes that were previously conducted in person.

The virtual forum "Digital Data Management of the Education System: FOMILENIO II’s Contribution to Modernizing MINED’s Information Systems" was recorded and is available at the following link: https://youtu.be/fwOjtkjUjv0.