SYNOPSIS - NEED ASSESSMENT OF DATA MANAGEMENT CAPACITY OF SELECTED MUNICIPALITIES

SYNOPSIS - NEED ASSESSMENT OF DATA MANAGEMENT CAPACITY OF SELECTED MUNICIPALITIES

Based on the study, the findings are as follows:
- All the surveyed municipalities are weak in at least one aspect of data management. The data production of Waling, Birendranagar, Tansen and Amargadi is weak whereas Dhankuta, Ghorahi, Tansen and Birendranagar are weak in data documentation. Data dissemination is weak in Tansen, Amargadi and Kalaiya. The use of statistical tools in data/report dissemination is weak in all the municipalities. This indicates the presence of a substantial gap between existing and required statistical literacy.

- The staff at Tansen, Belbari, Birendranagar, Dhankuta and Kalaiya do not have all the information regarding existing websites. This indicates that though the municipality has access to some technology, it has not been used properly. This could be due to lack of skilled man power for using updated technology. Kalaiya, Amargadi, Tansen and Birendranagar are weak in overall use of technology. The correlation coefficient between use of technology and data management is found to be positively significant indicating that the use of technology leads to better data management. 

- Only 3 of the 11 surveyed municipalities have statistics section/unit but none of them have allocated budget for statistical activities. The statistical activities in all the municipalities are observed to be weak indicating that there is no practice of conducting survey/study for development planning. Moreover, the correlation coefficient between human resource and finance and data management is not found to be very significant indicating that having large size of human resource and finance is not enough for proper data management. Rather, skillful manpower is needed. 

- Kalaiya doesn’t have any future plan for data management because of insufficient manpower, physical devices and budget. All the surveyed municipalities expect financial, technical and technological support for data management. Their expectation is specially for developing the capacity of existing man power. 

Recommendations 
The findings of the study help to provide following recommendations.
- To improve the statistical literacy of the officials in the surveyed municipalities, a special package of training for statistical literacy focusing on MS-excel should be conducted in each municipality.
- To maintain the data uniformity, standard concept, definition and classification should be introduced to the officials of these municipalities and assistance in its use should be provided.  
-To enhance the use of technology in the municipalities, special guidance should be given regarding technology and digital literacy.
- Three different policies, guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOPs) regarding data production, documentation and dissemination should be developed for the surveyed municipalities to help them perform proper data management. 
- To assist the municipalities conduct statistical activities in a proper manner, a survey framework should be provided with a master questionnaire covering all the possible sectors of survey.
- Using the data collected through administrative process like land revenue data, building permit data, house rent data, event registration data, etc. either in register or computer, statistics can be generated in regular basis with least cost and effort. Proper guideline should be developed to assist the municipalities in analysis and use of administrative data.