A preliminary report of the Census 2022 is expected to be made available to the government by the second quarter of 2024.
Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh provided the update at the 70th sitting of the National Assembly on Tuesday, at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.
He said the census is making progress in ensuring 100 per cent coverage.
“Subsequent to the preparation of that preliminary report by the end of the second quarter of 2024, the bureau will require a further four to six months for preparation and publication of all reports,” he explained.
The senior minister was at the time responding to questions posed by Opposition Member of Parliament Annette Ferguson, concerning the mechanisms in place to facilitate maximum coverage, as well as the projected completion date for the exercise.
He reminded that while the government would like the census to be completed as swiftly as possible, it is important to ensure that comprehensiveness and full coverage are not compromised in the process.
The census is being conducted on a household level, and this allows for one mature member of the household to answer on behalf of all the members, who may not be available at the time. Additionally, in cases where no one is present at the time of the initial visit by the enumerator, then the enumerator will make two return visits.
“Enumerators who, on the initial visit to the household, are unable to make contact, such enumerators are required to leave a call-back card, which is a slip of paper that informs the household of the visit and the date and time of the next visit,” Dr Singh said.
To further facilitate persons who may not have been counted, the Bureau of Statistics has also implemented an online feedback platform which allows persons to provide their contact information, with the aim of scheduling a visit.
Verification and mobile enumeration teams are actively working in hard-to-reach areas, and a call centre has been established to assist these teams in identifying persons who have not been counted.
“Efforts will continue. The team at the Bureau of Statistics is continuing to work diligently, because we would like to ensure that we have maximum coverage in the census,” he assured the House.
For the core enumeration period, a total of 2,811 temporary census personnel were hired, which includes enumerators, supervisors, area coordinators and regional coordinators, among others.
Persons who have not been counted in the census can reach out via WhatsApp or telephone at 701-8700, or 701-8701. They can also fill out the feedback form at https://statisticsguyana.gov.gy/ninja-forms/9aov9/ , after which they will be contacted by the bureau.(DPI)
