By Foday Moriba Conteh
In a Press Release issued out by Statistics Sierra Leone it was stated that the public is hereby informed that the Pilot Census for the 2021 Mid-Term Census started on Tuesday 19th October 2021 and will last for fourteen days.
Accordingly, the18th October 2021 (Prophet Mohammed’s birthday – a public holiday) was declared the PILOT CENSUS NIGHT. That night of the public holiday was the reference point for enumeration.
The institution stated that between the Pilot Census night and the time when enumerators reach households, the composition of the households may change. Against that backdrop members of the public must remember that their enumerators will ask about persons who slept in a household only on Prophet Mohammed’s birthday 18th October 2021.
The Release continued that for the Pilot Census, 1% of the total number of enumeration areas was selected across the country. It continued that only households in those EAs will be counted during the next fourteen days.
It was indicated that the Pilot Census is conducted to test all aspects of the main mid-term census which will follow. Those, according to Statistics Sierra Leone will include technical, logistical and communication issues.
Authorized Stats SL field staff with ID Cards and other branded materials, it was stated, will go to the selected households in the country to count the total number of people in those households and also ask questions relating to the Socio-Economic and Demographic indicators of those households.
The enumerators will talk to the head of the household or his/her designated representative to give information relating to those who slept in the household on 18th October 2021.
Based on what the institution stated, there will also be institutional questionnaires to be administered for people who slept on the PILOT CENSUS Night in places like Hotels, Hospitals, Police Stations, Prisons etc and also floating population questionnaire to capture the floating population on pilot census night.
Statistics Sierra Leone admonished members of the public to please remember that this is an exercise that is meant only to test our system for the main census and therefore not every area or household will be covered.
The institution solicits the cooperation of the general public to allow Stats SL’s enumerators to move around and carry out their work unhindered as enshrined in Section 8 of the Census Act of 2002.
