Reports

National Census 2011 Citizen Observation

Preliminary Report

Enumeration work of the 11^th National Population and Housing Census has been completed recently. Carrying a 100 years of census history and observation work from the civil society for the first time, this Population Census has a special importance. This census observation would have been almost impossible, if the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Social Inclusion Research Fund (SIRF) and Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation had (SDC) not supported the initiatives in many ways. We first would like to extend special thanks for their continuous support.

This preliminary report has been prepared based on mainly the experiences of the observers deputed in each of the 80 census districts. Experiences of the monitoring teams deputed in 60 district headquarters have also been incorporated in this report. Report on sensitization and awareness rasising on census has mainly been obtained from the experiences of the separate rapid assessment team deputed in the 15 sub-regions of the country including Mountain, Hill and Tarai and covering all the five development regions. The data processing works of the observations by all these teams are continuing and thus this report has been termed as the preliminary one.

Objectives of the observation

To increase participation of MINEs CSOs, enhanced data quality and wider acceptability of census data;
To verify that census principles & procedures are gender sensitive and socially inclusive and met international standard and established criterion in all phases of policy, planning, & management including operation and publication;
To recommend to CBS on appropriate change, if applicable in census policy, planning and operation for future census based on the factors hindered smooth census operation during PHC 2011.

Methods adopted for observation

v Formation of National Census 2011 Citizen Observation Committee (NCOC 2011);
v Formation of Advisory Committee which consists of the CA caucus groups, National Coalition against Racial Discrimination (NCARD), NGO Federation of Indigenous Nationalities(NGO-FONIN) and Population Association of Nepal (PAN);
v Production of PSA and talk programmes on the issues of the minority groups and their dissemination through national and local media;
v Publication and dissemination of brochure on census observation;
v Observers deputed in 80 census districts (one in each census district). The social composition of the observers: women: 37%, Dalit: 16%, Janjati: 49%, Madheshi: 14%, PWDs: 4%, Muslim: 9%, Brahman/Chhetri: 24%, LGBT: 3%.
v Collection of information on census, its importance, attitude of the selected household and overall feedbacks in two VDCs of all census districts (that is 80 census districts, 160 VDCs/Municipalities).
v Interview with the district census officers, supervisors and enumerators in order to identify the overall attempts they have adopted for the quality census enumeration and the problems they have faced;
v Based on the information of 2001 census, field observation has been conducted in more than 100 ethnic groups;
v Rapid assessment has been conducted in 15 sub-regions of Nepal representing all three ecological zones (Mountain, Hill & Tarai) and development regions;
v Monitoring of the census observation works has been conducted in 60 districts.

Strengths of the census

Community people's participation in this census has been taken as more active and participatory in terms of putting their concerns and playing a watch dog role on the census activities.
The census manual and questionnaire has been found to be more gender and inclusion friendly as compared to the previous censures.
Media campaign launched by government and non-government sectors on census has been found to be widened in this census period.
The NCOC takes it a positive step that the census operation work has been conducted by the Government's own resources.
The predatory works of the CBS in case of the problems appeared were found to be comparatively better than the previous census.
Most of the census officers deputed in the districts were found to be positive towards the census enumeration works.
In course of the observation, many of the observers took opportunities to report to the census officers or directly to the CBS central office on the matters of the weaknesses seen or any omission cases.
The Government has given permission to the civil society for census observation which itself is a key to enhance the quality of census data by creating the feeling of ownership.
The NCOC takes it a positive matter that none of the activities have been found to seriously disturb or stop the census enumeration work despite the doubts were floating over in the current transitional situation.

Areas of Improvement

v The educated unemployed have expressed their serious concern over the deputation of the teachers in the census enumeration work. On the other hand, due to the absence of the teachers in the schools, parents have complained that the students' day to day learning activities has been disturbed. In view of these complaints, the district education office in some districts have directed the teachers on census work to conduct the enumeration work only in the evening and morning and be present in the schools in the day time.

v The mandatory seven days training for the enumerators has not been properly conducted in some districts.

v Communication problem during enumeration work has been observed between the enumerators and the respondent in some districts as the enumerators were not deputed from the same locality and community. This may have hampered to bring out the accurate information from the household.

v Dialogues in local languages and effective campaigns on census are still lacking. Due to this rumors on census works have been spread during this census operation period too.

v In almost all districts, selection of the supervisors and enumerators has been made based on the political party's share. Some of the personnel deputed for the census observation work have been found taking advantage of this and been irresponsible for the census work.

v The personnel deputed for the census works have expressed dissatisfaction over the incentives provided to them. The workload has not been properly adjusted based on the facilities.

v The maps for the use of the supervisors and enumerators were found not being properly utilized.

v The enumerators in some districts have been charged of not asking properly the surnames, ethnicity, religion, language and gender.

v The questionnaire has been found to be somehow defective in catching the information on mother tongue and second language. In some places, this information has not been properly asked. Similarly, some of the respondents or communities also intended to respond differently.

v The meaning of usual residence has been found not properly sought especially in the urban areas due to which there is the possibility of members of the same family to be left out or the families of the same houses be properly identified and enumerated.

v Less number of enumerators have been reported in the remote areas to enumerate within the specified time period.

v The questions on economic activity have not been properly grasped by the respondents and so there can be flaws on the data on economic activity.

v The policy of inclusion in terms of gender, ethnicity and others has not been properly implemented in some districts.

v The representation of four personnel other than the government offices in the district census coordination committee has not been ensured in many districts because it was not mandatory in the guideline. Therefore there is no representation of the civil society in the coordination committee of some districts.

NCOC's Further Responsibilities as Recommended by Community People

v The observation had to be in place from the very beginning of the census activities. All problems related to census processes are not solved only by conducting the field observation only. The NCOC therefore needs to involve the post enumeration activities like data processing, data analysis and publication.

Recommendations

v There should be the provision of open competition for hiring the district census officer, supervisors and enumerators from among those having knowledge of theoretical and practical knowledge on census.

v Questionnaire needs to be less confusing and shortened so as to meet the international comparability.

v Alternative season needs to be thought as the census operation period due to the fact that this time does not suit to approach the farmers to spend time on enumeration work.

v In view of the social diversities and geographical difficulties, there should be ample modification in defining census data, measurement scale, and procedures which needs to be developed in the central level and in the regional and local level data collection, processing and publication can be done by strengthening the capacity of the local level.

v There should be made a humble announcement from the national level to postpone any similar surveys, door to door campaigns or research initiatives by other parties during the time of the census enumeration work.

Organizations Involved in Census Observation

- Centre for Ethnic and Alternative Development Studies – CEADS( working with Indigenous Nationalities);

- National Muslim Forum (working with Muslims);

- SUPPORT Nepal - Sahara Nepal (working in Minority issues including Madheshi);

- Jagaran Media Centre – JMC (working with Dalits);

- Shakti Samuha (working with women);

- Disabled Human Rights Centre – DHRC (working with persons with disability);

- Parichaya Samaj (working with sexual minorities);

- Centre for Social Science Studies - COSSS (forum of population professionals).