Starting May 29, 2017, the education ministry and the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) will undertake a registration exercise of learners in all primary, post-primary, secondary and post-secondary institutions.
In a circular to all head teachers and principals of government and private institutions dated April 25, registration forms will be delivered centrally to districts.
The circular, signed by the ministry permanent secretary, Alex Kakooza, reads, “You are hereby informed that the government is undertaking an exercise to register all learners from the age of five years and above”.
The circular is also copied to district LC-V chairpersons, chief administrative officers/town clerks, district/municipal education officers, resident district commissioners, mayors and district internal security officers.
“Therefore, all heads of schools and institutions must pick the forms from the districts and ensure they are duly filled by parents/guardians,” reads the circular in part.
According to Kakooza, the registration programme seeks to ensure registration of learners and assign them with National Identification Numbers (NINs) while those who are 16 years and older will be issued with national identity cards.
In order to ensure an orderly and efficient exercise, all learners will be availed registration forms with guidelines to be filled by their parents/guardians and returned to schools by May 31, 2017.
Kakooza said parents/guardians are required to attach photocopies of their national identity cards or any other recognised form of identification upon returning the forms.
Head teachers and principals will also be tasked to provide accountability for all the registration forms received by their schools from the district headquarters.
Speaking to The Observer last week, Gilbert Kadilo, the NIRA spokesman, said the second term registration exercise targets only school-going children within the specified age bracket.
“For children who will join school for instance in baby class next year, they will possess birth certificates which have been inscribed with a national identity card number as it is with those having the cards,” Kadilo said.
JUSTIFICATION
Initially, the project will cost NIRA Shs 53bn, but is expected to culminate in a continuous registration, through the issuance of birth certificates for children younger than five years.
When asked about the registration of children that are out of school, Kadilo said their parents/guardians should help them process birth certificates with NIRA offices in Kololo.
Kadilo explained that the decision is based on a government directive to prepare a national register, made in 2004. That directive was eventually formalised by the Registration of Persons Act 2015.
However, the actual registration exercise started in 2014 with registration of people older than 16 years, in time for the 2016 general election. Kadilo then explained that the move was meant to actualize the government directive to register all nationals and make sure all children under 16 years are brought into the national register.
“Eventually, this national register will become the superior register of all persons, under the Registration of Persons Act 2015, and becomes the central reference point on persons in the country,” he said.
The registration is designed to facilitate government activities across the board. It will eventually bring in third parties (such as the education ministry and other agencies) seeking access to the register for purposes of planning, but Kadilo explained that the level of detail available to them will be limited accordingly.
In line with the Registration of Persons Act 2015, NIRA has taken over all registration functions like registering adoptions, births and deaths, with support from Plan International, World Bank and Unicef.
nangonzi@observer.ug