In Haripur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 13-year-old Muzzamil Hussain had been out of school for two years.

His parents could no longer afford the private school he attended, and no one in his village expected him to return to school. Quietly, Muzzamil disappeared from the classroom.

That changed when his name surfaced during a routine update of the district’s Integrated Education Management Information System (IEMIS).

Staff at the District Education Department noticed that Muzzamil had previously been enrolled in a private school but was no longer listed anywhere. They traced his records, contacted his family, and referred him to the nearest government school, where he was enrolled in grade 7.

Now, in his white shirt and cap, with his school bag slung over his shoulder, Muzzamil walks to class each morning with a smile. After two years away, he is learning, laughing and dreaming again—this time with a clear goal to become a teacher.

Muzzamil’s story is just one example of how IEMIS is strengthening education in Haripur by ensuring that children’s learning and wellbeing are actively monitored and supported.

Behind the scenes, district education staff use the system every day to make sure no child falls through the cracks.

One click, instant insights

In the busy office of the District Education Department in Haripur, Assistant Director IT Huma Qauser opens her laptop and smiles.

With just one click, she can now access detailed information about every school in the district, from the number of teachers and students to facilities like classrooms, toilets and clean drinking water.

“It’s all there, accurate and updated. Before this system, we did everything manually. It took weeks to prepare a report. Now, I can get it instantly,” she says.

For years, education data in Haripur was managed through paper files and registers. Information on teachers, students and schools was scattered across offices, making it difficult to track needs or plan effectively. Collecting reports from hundreds of schools could take months, and data was sometimes lost or duplicated.

To address these challenges, the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with support from UNICEF and GPE, introduced IEMIS. Today, more than 700 schools in Haripur use the system to manage enrollment, attendance, infrastructure data and requests from parent-teacher committees.

IEMIS integrates multiple modules, including human resource management, student management, school and office management, school self-reporting, e-notifications and an e-transfer module for teacher postings.

The human resource module records every teacher’s qualifications, experience and postings, helping ensure trained staff are deployed where they are most needed.

Huma highlights one of many practical improvements:

Using data to respond quickly and fairly

IEMIS has also transformed how schools respond to urgent needs.

When floods damaged 19 school boundary walls in Haripur, schools reported the damage through the system.

Because the data was already uploaded and verified, the district was able to quickly request and secure government funds, avoiding delays and further losses.

Deputy District Education Officer Sardar Abdul Qayyum notes, “Previously, teachers spent hours filling out paper forms. Now, they enter information once, and it can be accessed anytime. That frees up teachers to focus on students.”

Teachers can also track students who miss school or need extra support.

Planning education with evidence

IEMIS has strengthened evidence-based planning across Haripur.

“We can see real-time gaps—whether a school needs more teachers, furniture or repairs—and allocate resources accordingly,” explains Sardar Abdul Qayyum. “Budgeting and planning are no longer guesswork. Decisions are backed by accurate data.”

The system also helps ensure safe, well-equipped learning environments. “In seconds, we can see how many desks, toilets or boundary walls each school has, and where repairs or upgrades are needed. This ensures every child learns in a safe space,” he adds.

The school self-reporting module is gradually replacing the annual paper census, enabling near real-time monitoring.

To ensure effective use of the system, 244 provincial and district managers have been trained, followed by cascading support to nearly 4,100 district officials across the province.

Keeping every child in school

Digital systems like IEMIS are helping children like Muzzamil continue their education. Teachers can focus on nurturing children’s potential rather than managing paperwork, while administrators make informed decisions that directly benefit students.

Thanks to support from GPE and UNICEF, the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is expanding IEMIS across Haripur and beyond, transforming classrooms through data-driven solutions that help every child stay in school and learn.