The Dean of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in the Volta Region, Hon. Jerry Ameko, has appealed to the National Identification Authority (NIA) to extend the ongoing registration exercise for children aged between 6 and 14 years, saying many school children in the region are yet to be captured.
According to him, the 21-day exercise, which began on May 5, was expected to cover school communities across the region, but several schools were not reached before the official end of the registration period.
Hon. Ameko explained that although the exercise was designed to ensure that children within the target age group obtained their Ghana Cards, challenges encountered during the process prevented officials from achieving full coverage.
He attributed the delays and low coverage to several operational challenges encountered during the registration exercise.
According to him, technical problems, poor network connectivity, weather conditions and misunderstandings at some registration centres all slowed down the process.
“There were technical challenges which affected their work. Weather issues also affected the network at some centres which delayed the process,” he explained.
He described network challenges as one of the major setbacks that affected the smooth implementation of the exercise across the region.
Hon. Ameko said the 21 days allocated for the exercise had proven inadequate considering the number of children expected to be registered and the challenges encountered by registration officials.
He noted that in some districts, registration teams could not cover even the majority of schools despite the relatively smaller number of institutions.
“For instance, in Adaklu, where there are about 48 schools, less than 40 have been covered. So what happens to the remaining schools?” he questioned.
Hon. Ameko said the situation is even more worrying in districts and municipalities with larger populations and more schools, where many communities have reportedly not been attended to at all.
He said many communities would feel unfairly treated if the exercise ends without their children being registered.
“This exercise is very important, and if some school communities are left out, they will feel they have not been treated fairly because others who have benefited are happy with it, while those yet to be registered also need it,” he stated.
The Dean stressed that all eligible children must be captured to ensure equal opportunity and access to future services linked to the national identification system.
He warned that ending the exercise without extending the registration period would disadvantage many children who are yet to benefit from the programme.
The Dean further noted that MMDCEs, as representatives of the people, have a responsibility to speak on behalf of communities affected by the incomplete exercise.
“And so we are appealing to the leadership of the National Identification Authority to ensure that the exercise, which is expected to end today technically, should be extended in the Volta Region if we really want to be fair to the people,” he appealed.
The District Chief Executive for Central Tongu, Hon. Addison Dodzi Mornyuie, also supported the call for an extension.
He explained that many school children live in remote communities far from district capitals, making it difficult for them to travel for registration if mobile teams do not reach their schools.
“We are talking about young students, not adults. It will be difficult for somebody travelling from the far corner of a district to the district capital just to register,” he said.
Hon. Mornyuie noted that the mobile registration approach remains the best option for ensuring that school children are captured without placing additional burdens on parents and guardians.
He therefore urged the NIA to extend the exercise and allow mobile registration vans to continue visiting schools that have not yet been covered.
He maintained that extending the registration exercise would help ensure fairness and allow all eligible children in the region to benefit from the national identification programme.
