Registration programme to be launched in Reg. 7
– “In our drive to attain 100% birth registration, we need to get into the riverine communities and continue our work in the hinterland” – Min. Felix
– Decentralisation resulting in fewer registration issues
DPI, Guyana, Sunday, April 28, 2019
The Department of Citizenship is gearing to embark on a registration programme for hinterland communities, as it continues to decentralise its services.
“In our drive to attain 100% birth registration, we need to get into the riverine communities and continue our work in the hinterland,” Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix said.
Minister Felix disclosed that a programme will be launched in the border community of Eteringbang in Region 7 and will be managed by the Police Force attached to that area.
Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix.
“We want to secure the services of policemen to register the births. The success there will generally propel us into other communities.”
While the police station will be utilised to register the births, the officers will be expected to travel to outlying communities to render the service to the residents. Training for the programme commences on April 29.
The Citizenship Minister noted that the decentralising of government’s services are in keeping with government’s policy to make available public services in communities across the country.
Since the APNU+AFC government assumed office, a number of outreaches have been undertaken by representatives of the General Registrar’s Office (GRO). Over the two months, outreaches have been conducted in Regions 1, 7, 8 and 9 with the majority of unregistered births being in the Upper Takatu-Upper Essequibo Region.
Speaking to the Department of Public Information (DPI), on Sunday, at the ‘Government comes to you’ exercise hosted at the National Track and Field Center in Edinburgh, West Coast of Demerara, Minister Felix emphasised the importance of a birth certificate noting that “a child must have a birth certificate because the benefits for that child are enormous.”
A birth certificate is used as a source document for several essential processes, among them, the acquisition of National Identification Card and passport.
Anara Khan
Image: Department of Public Information