6 September 2024
Central Census Commission held 5th work coordination meeting for population and housing census 2024 at Ministry of Immigration and Population here this afternoon, addressed by Patron of the commission Vice Chairman of State Administration Council Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win.
Also present were Chair of the commission Union Minister for Immigration and Population U Myint Kyaing, the Nay Pyi Taw Council chair, council member eputy ministers and officials. Region/state chief ministers attended the meeting through video conferencing.
In his address, the Vice-Senior General said a timetable for every working step must be set after adopting a detailed plan for the success of the entire census project. The task is being implemented from 1 October 2021 for 36 months, and its completion is just around the corner.
The preparatory work of establishing of enumeration fields through GIS system, setting up a CAPI system and writing the application, assigning auditors and enumerators, sending mobile tablets and accessories, auditors and enumerating tools to regions and states is completed, and the project has reached the stage of conducting the census. Formation of different levels of census committees to supervise the field enumeration work is in progress. In this regard, public census awareness programs are being launch on an extensive scale.
The Chairman of State Administration Council Prime Minister has delivered an address to the nation on population and housing census on 1 September 2024. One of the important facts of the address is the encouragement to participate in the nation-wise census that will shape the nation’s future and materialize wishes and needs of the people by giving correct answers.
Under the supervision of Nay Pyi Taw and region/state census supervisory committees, census trainings are being conducted at region/state, district and township levels according to the timetable. Field census collection task will follow on the fixed date after the completion of the courses.
On behalf of the government, I would like to appreciate the concerted efforts of the Central Census Commission, Nay Pyi Taw, regional and state census supervisory committees, the Ministry of Immigration and Population and relevant ministries to timely complete the census preparation processes within the designated timeframe. Field census, which is the major part of the entire census, must be conducted between 1 and 15 October. As preparation tasks have been carried out effectively, it is believed that the conducting of the census will be done. Collection of accurate and qualified census data fully depend on the leadership of Nay Pyi Taw, regional and state census supervisory committees, close supervision of census committees at different levels and efforts of census conductors and census enumerators during the census period and I would like to urge the people to cooperate in the process.
Materials to be used in census conduction and training courses have been sent to Nay Pyi Taw, regions and states. It is necessary to issue materials timely to census conductors and census enumerators without being wasted and getting to the hands of unscrupulous people.
While the census is being conducted in the entire country simultaneously, responsible officials from the Ministry of Immigration and Population are required to prepare for field trips to immediately solve the technical and academic difficulties.
As the census will be conducted with the use of CAPI technology and mobile tablets, it is especially necessary to prepare to solve internet and technical difficulties in real time.
There are only 24 days left to conduct the population and household census 2024. Although the duration of the census is set for 15 days, instructions have been issued to extend the duration if necessary due to security and transportation issues by reporting to Nay Pyi Taw, regional and state census supervisory committees.
In connection with the census the Chairman of the State Administration Council has given guidance to conduct the census between 1 and 15 October in possible areas in accordance with the timetable and to collect true data in impossible areas by taking further security measures and setting timeframes.
Therefore, it is necessary to follow the guidance of the SAC Chairman and to complete the census before December, 2024, when preliminary results will be issued, as much as possible. As the census process is comprehensive and requires cooperation of the people without fail, difficulties and challenges will certainly be faced on the ground. However, responsible officials and the people are urged to make concerted efforts to overcome the difficulties and challenges to enable the census to cover the entire country without leaving anyone, to get correct answers for all questions and get required statistics and data.
The State Administration Council must work to achieve successes with a sense of seeing the national interests by overcoming every difficulty definitely in the period of taking the responsibilities of the State. Difficulties must be overcome with expectation and consideration and coordination of finding solutions. Moreover, accurate and correct results of census on population and households will be helpful to measures being taken for preparation to successfully hold a systematic, truthful general election, which is the ultimate goal of the State Administration Council.
Until recently, most of the preparatory processes had been the tasks to be carried out only by the Ministry of Immigration and Population responsible for the large task for conducting the census. However, most of the work to be done is the task to be carried out with collective participation of not only related ministries, organizations, officials of regions and states and departments but social organizations and the entire people. Besides, as there are more field tasks to be carried out among the people, it is more important for all to cooperate and coordinate.
There are a few days to go to conduct the 2024 Population and Households Census, and such a task needs to have money, manpower and skill as well as good will and morale strength.
It is necessary for all to work together in carrying out the task to be implemented without any international help to ensure that it can be marked as a historical milestone.
Afterwards, Union Minister U Myint Kyaing, Chairman of the Central Census Commission, briefed on measures being taken upon the previous meeting’s decisions, tasks on the preparatory process, distribution of facilities to Nay Pyi Taw, regions and states, measures on the trial census taken before the main census was conducted, appointment of audits and enumerators, opening of census coaching courses, measures being taken to ensure that the people will widely know about the census, and situation of the areas where the census will be conducted.
Then, the Secretary-1 of Central Census Commission and deputy ministers, members of the commission, and chief ministers of states and regions who are chairmen of region and state supervisory committees for conducting the census participated in discussion on tasks being carried out for successfully conducting the 2024 Population and Households Census, plans and measures to be taken in cooperation with the relevant ministries, and required tasks to be carried out by the Central Census Commission.
Later on, the Vice-Senior General made necessary coordination on the discussions and reports and gave closing remarks.
