By Brian Atuhura
The Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT)has introduced a new Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) module under the Parish Data Management Information System (PDMIS)to strengthen supervision and tracking of service delivery data collected by local governments.

The rollout was announced during a training session for key district stakeholders held yesterday at the district headquarters.The session was facilitated by Eng.Doreen Gift Bujjingo, Senior ICT infrastructure Engineer at the Ministry of ICT.

Eng.Bujjingo urged district officials to ensure accuracy and consistency when updating sector -based data systems such as the Education Management Information System (EMIS),the Health Management Information System (HMIS),and the Financial Inclusion System (FIS)under the Parish Development Model (PDM).She emphasized that verified data from the systems will feed into the new M&E module, which will be centrally monitored by supervising ministries.

"The Monitoring and Evaluation module will enable comparison of district performance in service delivery, particularly at Parish level,"she noted.

The new system captures key service delivery sectors including Health, Education, Production,Roads and Parish Revolving Funds (PRF), among others.It is designed to support district administrators particularly Chief Administrative Officers in ensuring data integrity, accountability and evidence based planning.

Participants in the training included the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, District Health Officer, District Commercial Officer, District Community Development Officer, District Production Officer,IT Officer, Population Officer and the Communications Officer.

Speaking during the session,the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer,Jane Akiror, commended the government for implementing the Parish Development Model, noting that many beneficiaries have experienced improvements in their livelihoods.

However,she raised concerns that some communities have not fully embraced the programme, stressing the need for intensified sensitization efforts.She underscored the importance of strengthening the mindset change pillar of the PDM to ensure communities fully understand and actively participate in Parish level development initiatives.

The rollout of the M&E module marks a significant step towards improving transparency, accountability and performance tracking under the Parish Development Model.