UAE- Make Sharjah census mission a success: paper

ABU DHABI 8th December 2015 (WAM) -- Sharjah has grown by leaps and bounds in the past few years. The ongoing Sharjah Census 2015 will play a very important role in determining the needs of Sharjah residents and business.

"It is important that the citizens and residents in the Emirate participate in the Sharjah Census 2015 and cooperate with census teams as suggested by H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah" said Gulf Today in an editorial on Tuesday.

"Residents should cooperate with the census teams by giving them accurate data. There need be no fear in the minds as all personal data and information provided to census researchers will be treated as strictly confidential and will not be shared with anyone or be published.

"It may be recalled that in February Sheikh Sultan issued Emiri Decree No. 07 of 2015 on conducting a general census of the population infrastructure housing and establishments in Sharjah.

"The census aims to provide exact and reliable statistical data on economic social and demographic sectors and others in the Emirate.

"It is the largest statistical operation ever launched in Sharjah covering every element of society including families individuals properties and structures.

"The census officials are gathering data with focus on six community elements including the elderly orphans widows divorced and abandoned women the differently-abled job seekers and the illiterate.

"Initially researchers met families and asked about the name of the father the number of family members contact information and whether the family wished to use the self-counting system and register electronically without a researcher visiting them to gather relevant information.

"According to Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Thani Chairman of the Higher Committee for the Sharjah Census 2015 and Chairman of the Department of Statistics and Community Development a high level of residents responded favourably to the online method of self-counting which was 55%.

"Last month schools across Sharjah took part in an awareness campaign organised by the Sharjah Census 2015 to familiarise students with its role in ensuring the development of the emirate" concluded the Sharjah-based daily.

The campaign featured interactive workshops designed to highlight the importance of the census and the way it had been carried out through easy to understand exercises.

It should not be forgotten that the census project is a national obligation for the citizens and residents. All sections of the community should cooperate and support the research teams and observers to make the census mission a success.