The Oyo State Ministry of Education has announced that birth certificates and National Identification Numbers (NIN) are now compulsory requirements for school enrolment across the state. The policy is aimed at improving student record management and supporting the government’s drive towards digital identity and efficient education administration.

The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Oyinloye Bamidele, disclosed this while speaking on the importance of digital identity in education.

According to Bamidele, the initiative is being implemented in partnership with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and aligns with the Federal Government’s digital identity programme.

She explained that enrolment records in public schools across Oyo State are now fully digitised and stored in a central database, replacing the traditional paper-based record system.

“We are in a digital age, so once a pupil or student is registered, it goes into our central database. We have all our records digitised,” she said.

Parents Encouraged to Register Children Early

The Permanent Secretary identified the lack of birth certificates among some pupils as one of the biggest challenges facing the implementation of the policy.

According to her, some parents either failed to register the birth of their children or were unable to provide the required documents during school admission.

To address this challenge, the ministry has introduced some flexibility regarding NIN registration. While birth certificates remain compulsory at enrolment, students who do not yet have a NIN are allowed time to complete the registration before reaching terminal classes, where the identity number becomes mandatory for national examinations.

Partnership with NIMC to Register Students

To ensure that every eligible learner is captured in the national identity database, the ministry has partnered with NIMC to conduct school-based registration exercises.

Officials from the commission visit schools with a large number of unregistered pupils and students after making arrangements with school authorities. Registration is carried out in batches to make the process easier for learners and parents.

Bamidele noted that the policy has been in operation across Oyo State for the past two years and has encouraged more parents to obtain both birth certificates and National Identification Numbers for their children.

Ministry Assures Parents of Data Security

Addressing concerns about privacy, the Permanent Secretary assured parents that students’ personal information is well protected.

She explained that the ministry’s education database is not accessible to the general public. Access is limited to authorised education officials, while researchers can only obtain approved data for specific academic or policy purposes.

She also revealed that although some educational statistics are published on the ministry’s official platform, confidential student information remains protected through collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education.

The ministry reaffirmed its commitment to using technology to strengthen education administration, improve record management, and enhance service delivery across schools in Oyo State.