15th/03/2023.
The National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA) has engaged Education stakeholders at the Sierra Palms Resort in Freetown as part of the Authority’s effort to implement the directive of Cabinet; to register and issue the NIN to all pupils in Sierra Leone.
The purpose of the meeting was to share the operational plan developed by NCRA with other Education Stakeholders in order to discuss and agree on the next steps for an effective implementation of the project as directed by Cabinet in November 2022.
The registration process intends to cover all school pupils, government, Government Assisted, mission, and private schools across the country. Pupils that have already registered with NCRA in the past will be issued the NIN upon their personal data being searched for in the NCRA’s database. The exercise will commence on the 27th March through 5th April 2023 for the Western area and the eastern region concurrently. The date for other regions will be communicated thereafter.
The engagement which brought together stakeholders from the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), the Conference of Principals, the Sierra Leone Teachers’ Union (SLTU), and the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education (MTHE).
Speaking during the meeting, the Director General of the NCRA; Mohamed Mubashir Massaquoi announced that the exercise will be a school-based activity, which is tailored against disrupting normal school activity, as school authorities will be expected to support the process by making sure that the pupils are available for the timelines set for them by the NCRA.
“We are now prepared to move into action. But we can not do it all by ourselves. We had proposed timelines and activities to be done before the commencement of the exercise itself.” Mr Massaquoi told school authorities, calling for collaboration for the exercise.
DG Massaquoi also announced some objectives for the registration and issuance of NIN to pupils, including the provision of accurate data to account for the exact number of pupils in all schools; ascertaining the correct number of pupils writing public examinations per school, and determining Government support to pupils in schools; eliminating the possibility of identity fraud and other forms of impersonation in public examinations; preventing overaged persons writing public examinations in schools, and to enable the MBSSE to make informed decisions on matters relating to pupils and schools.
The National Identification Numbers recorded at every centre across the country will be printed at the district level for distribution to schools, and the printed Registration Forms by schools will be delivered to the Deputy Directors of Education in each district for onward distribution to the schools, the Director of Operations at the NCRA, Mr Abubakarr Javombo said.
The Deputy Director of Education for the Western Area; Sahr Sylvanus Kebbie described the proposed exercise as a good initiative, calling for collaboration from school authorities to ensure that the exercise, which is only meant for capturing pupils, succeeds.
Mr Kebbie added that: “Our contribution is to ensure that we support the NCRA, the schools, and the pupils so that they are registered.”
The engagement was climaxed by drafting of information, education, and communications messages to be sent out to the public informing pupils, teachers, parents, and guardians about the exercise that will commence soon.
