From February 20th to 23rd, SPRI Global capacity building experts delivered a training on data literacy and statistics in Malé, Maldives. The training focused on introducing the participants, who joined from the different institutes of the Department of Justice, to the theory and practice of data analysis.
Most participants had not worked with data on a regular basis, and were not familiar with quantitative methods. Therefore, great emphasis was placed on describing the relevance of data management and data analysis in the judicial sector, using contextualized examples.
The approach used was designed to be as collaborative, participative, and interactive as possible. Each training day was structured to include three main types of sessions:
- Conceptual and theoretical lectures, which covered topics such as the use of data in the legal sector or the techniques that can be used for data analysis;
- Rolling exercises, during which participants discussed the data collected and needed for their specific institutions;
- Excel guidance and practice, during which participants were given practical tasks and exercises that they had to present in front of the group.
Each morning, selected participants also provided a brief summary of what had been covered the day before. In addition to these sessions, more specific presentations were provided by expert partners, namely the Maldivian Bureau of Statistics, the Prosecutor General Office, the Police, and Javaabu, an external service provider in charge of developing a monitoring dashboard for the Department of Justice.
On the final day of the training, participants were given the opportunity to present the results of the rolling exercise. Grouped according to their institutional affiliation, participants presented a plan showing the data currently collected, its purpose and what data they would like to collect in the future to inform further policy-making in the Department of Justice. The training concluded with a ceremony during which the Assistant Prosecutor General awarded certificates to the participants and congratulated them on their successful course completion.
