Georgetown: Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh said the 2012 National Population Census is in its final stages. Dr Singh said he is expected to receive a preliminary report on that census “in the not-too-distant future.”
According to the finance minister, the process is ongoing and a more detailed analysis is now being done, on the various variables that were collected. “I expect a preliminary report not too long from now and before the end of this year, a full census report,” he added.
Asked whether the field work has been completed, Dr Singh said the process was completed long ago and tabulations are now being done. “It’s more data analysis now,” he added. Data extracted from the surveys conducted in villages across the country is now being processed.
Behind schedule
The Guyana National Bureau of Statistics (GNBS) will provide a preliminary report for the 2012 national population census to the minister. The GNBS is the agency mandated to carry out this exercise. The bureau started work on September 15, 2012 and was scheduled to complete a preliminary report in early 2013. However, as a result of several issues, the deadline was extended to September last, which was also missed.
During September last, the GNBS was going back into the field to conduct verifications. This meant that officers were still visiting homes randomly to ensure the accuracy of the information received during the field enumeration exercise. The verification process also targeted persons who would have been left out in the initial stages of the exercise.
According to an official there, the GNBS wants to ensure it publishes accurate information, hence the verification process. However, this did not excuse the fact that the exercise was way behind schedule. There were concerns raised about completing the exercise efficiently, especially in the interior locations.
A traditional population and housing census is among one of the most complex and massive peacetime exercises a nation undertakes. It requires mapping of the entire country, and mobilising and training of enumerators, among others.
The census is a critical planning tool, helping policymakers plan for the future in terms of schools, clinics, hospitals, roads, urban infrastructure, and more. It can measure fertility, mortality and spatial distribution, so as to predict and plan for demographic trends. It can uncover gender disparities in employment, literacy, age of marriage, and assets.
The census also reveals the number of people with disabilities and orphans by area, and can map out dwelling types, drinking water sources, telecommunications access, and patterns of energy use, among other things.
Guyana’s last census survey was conducted in 2002 when a population of 751,023 was recorded. Census 2012 was part of the United Nations’ 2010 round of global population and housing censuses. The 2010 round spans the period 2005-2014. Censuses are conducted every 10 years
You must be logged in to post a comment.