No abstract

The financing of higher education is an issue that has long-term societal implications, with a strong political influence and more often than not, hindered by the imperfect competition among HE institutions. The arbitrary way the financing of HE institutions occurs may be mitigated and optimized by using data collection, more precisely an Education Management Information System (EMIS), to ensure precise, fluid and timely datasets.Being not only an IT instrument and a database, but a system within a broader education scheme, EMIS contributes to implementing policies and procedures that efficiently collect, safeguard and use digital data resources to satisfy educational and company requirements. This paper highlights the current status of the financing of HE in Romania, in comparison to other countries, more specifically UK and US.

A properly designed and implemented Educational Management Information System (EMIS) assures precise, fluid and timely datasets which can be effectively used to monitor and evaluate national strategies. Data needs to be easily interpreted and a powerful EMIS is able to provide tools to extract the insights required by the policy makers and decision takers. As it is not only an IT tool or a database, but rather a multi-faceted framework that includes technological and institutional provisions for information collection, processing, and dissemination in an educational scheme, an EMIS is vital for monitoring changes, ensuring data quality and prompt reporting of significant planning and management information. The expanded scope of the fourth Sustainable and Development Goal within the UN's 2030 Agenda pushes EMIS to go far beyond administrative information, to information that can inform long-term instructional outcomes policies. EMIS should also investigate the connection between academic results and other socio-economic development industries, such as poverty alleviation, health, and jobs. This paper highlights the role and the importance of an effective EMIS in monitoring and evaluating the Romanian national strategies in education as part of the country's effort to align to the international educational standards regarding the access, participation and quality.