2021 Census enumerators demand insurance, risk allowance against dog bites

Enumerators of the 2021 Population and Housing census ar demanding insurance packages and risk allowance against dog bites.

The enumerators are also demanding a daily training allowance of Ghc80 and an increase in transportation allowance.

A petition addressed to the National Census Officer by enumerators in West Akyem Municipality in the Eastern Region stated that “transportation for the training should be Ghc440.00 as earlier announced instead of Ghc330.00We should be paid an allowance of the training or per diem of at least Ghc80 per day which will be ghc800.00 for 10 days. Allowance for Enumerators should be increased from Ghc2, 520.00 to Ghc3,000.00 and Ghc2,9 40.00 to Ghc3,500.00 for supervisors respectively. There should be a risk and insurance component added to the remuneration because a dog nearly attacked a participant ”

“It is more than surprising to sit for 12 hours each day without any allowance.We would have been if we were at our respective job posts”

The petition concluded ” we, the trainees at Asamankese Senior High School Center 1&2 resolved to boycott the entire exercise.

In a related development, Data collection officers in New Juaben South Municipality undergoing a ten-day training program which started from Monday, May 31 and ends June 9, 2021, are also aggitating over alleged slashed training allowance.

According to them, they were initially promised Ghc550 as transportation allowance at the end of the training but the amount was reduced to Ghc440 and subsequently Ghc330.

The enumerators and supervisors are therefore not unhappy over the variations creating suspicion among them that they are being short-changed by some individuals in charge of the training, therefore, threatening to boycott the training and subsequently withdraw from the entire exercise.

However, the Eastern Regional Director of Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) Bright Worlanyo Neku has urged agitating field data collection officers for the 2021 population and housing census to remain calm assuring that nobody will be short-changed.

The Eastern Regional Director of Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) Bright Worlanyo Neku blamed the agitations on miscommunication.

He noted “their T&T in contention now, we promised to give them Ghc500 but later on they’ve heard that we slashed it to Ghc440 then now going down to Ghc330 so because of those things they want to boycott the program. When I went there I met the facilitators, we discussed the issues, so I explained to the facilitators that this is the situation.”

He told the media “the first thing I did was that during the opening address, the address was sent from Accra from the Chief Executive which was read to them, in that opening address, it was stated that they will pay them G440 for ten days. So where they got that Ghc50 (per day) from I don’t know. It was that document that the Ghc440 was quoted. But later, we had another communique that the Ghc440 was a mistake so it is now going to be Ghc30 for their T&T per day.”

A communique by Ghana Statistical Service stated that “on the side of GSS, we will be providing a transport allowance of GH₵330. The first tranche of 30% will be paid after the first week of training. The second tranche of 40% will be paid in the second week of training and the last tranche will be paid three days after the start of the listing.”

He emphasized “trainees that do not complete the training or who are selected but decline will forfeit the final 30%. For trainees who will finally be selected as Enumerators, a lump sum of GH₵2,520 will be paid for the listing and enumeration exercise. For trainees who will be selected as Supervisors, their remuneration will be GH₵2,940 for the listing and enumeration exercise.”

“These amounts will be paid in tranches and the details are provided in the contracts. All payments will be done via G-money and so all trainees should ensure they are registered on G-Money and provide the correct telephone number for payment.

This year’s census is the first digital Population and Housing Census in Ghana.

Field Officers are therefore being trained to master the contents of the manual and the use of the tablets in order to be successful.

A real-time data collection and real-time data quality monitoring mechanisms to scrutinize the data daily have been synchronized for error identification for correction.

According to the GSS, the monitoring is an additional layer of supervision
added to enhance the accuracy of the data collected.

The technology will also offer Management an opportunity to monitor the movement of enumerators and supervisors, timing, and origin of interacting with servers.

The 2021 Population and Housing Census (PHC) is estimated to cost the country GHS 521 million.

Out of this amount, the government has raised and disbursed GHS 467 million for the start of the exercise.

The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) says the 2021 census will begin across the country from Sunday, June 27,(Census night). The exercise will run till July 11, 2021.

Source: Starrfm.com.gh