Closing the information gap

Closing the information gap

By Shwe Yee Saw Myint   |   Sunday, 26 January 2014

Myanmar will conduct a nationwide population and housing census from March 29 to April 10, the first such survey to be done in the country for 30 years.

A woman holds her child in Twante in Yangon Region. Myanmar's 2014 census aims to collect data that will help the government draft sound policies for the development of the country. Photo: Chris Davy

The census questionnaire consists of 41 questions, starting with asking every household and institution to list the names of everyone who spent the night of March 29.

The count will include everyone – Myanmar nationals and foreigners included – regardless of whether they stayed in a house, hospital, monastery, hotel or elsewhere.

U Myint Kyaing, the director general of the Department of Population under the Ministry of Immigration and Population, told The Myanmar Times that the main purpose of the census was to "provide accurate and timely information that is crucial to government policymaking, planning and administration".

"Our department can provide a population number every five years based on birth and death rates from annual reports, but this is not very accurate. So now we have an information gap," he said. According to government estimates, Myanmar's current population is from 50-60 million.

Each household in the country – numbering more than 12 million – will be visited during the 12-day census period.

The questionnaire includes questions about gender, age, education, occupation, religion, ethnicity, disabilities, births, deaths, housing, electricity supplies and access to water, said U Win Myint, the national program officer (monitoring and evaluation) at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The UNFPA is providing technical assistance to the government, including help with drafting the questionnaire based on advice from an international technical advisory board.

Although some ethnic leaders are asking for changes to be made to the questionnaire, U Win Myint said, "We have no authority to change the questions. We drafted these questions based on international standards and on the 1973 and 1983 censuses in Myanmar."

The first modern census was taken in 1891 during the British colonial period and was repeated every 10 years until 1941. Under U Ne Win, counts were conducted in 1973 and 1983, with the latter coming up with a population figure of about 35.4 million.

For this year's census, the UNFPA is providing assistance in mapping households, training interviewers, setting up data processing systems and disseminating the results.

"We are preparing the best situation for the 2014 census. We held a pilot project one year ahead of the actual census, during which interviewers fanned out across 20 selected townships across the country," U Win Myint said.

The census will require an estimated 100,000 interviewers, while 20,000 secondary teachers will supervise the work of the interviewers. Data will be collected using 15 million questionnaires.

The total cost of the census is estimated at US$58.6 million, with the government providing $15 million, the UNFPA $5 million and other international donors the remaining $38.6 million.

"The financial support is in place now," U Win Myint said.

According to the Myanmar Census Project Plan, an advance report will be issued six months after the survey is conducted, and the final report will be published in the first quarter of 2015.

Source: http://www.news.myanmaronlinecentre.com/2014/01/30/closing-the-information-gap/