The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) is planning to use the Schools’ music, dance and drama competition as an effective tool of communication to both the children, and parents among other stakeholders, to urge them to embrace the birth registration exercise.
The birth registration message that is part of the 2022 Schools National Schools’ Music Dance and Drama competition hosted at Master Cares Christian School in Kyotera District puts emphasis on particular aspects where both the parents and children realise the importance of birth registration.
Mr Gilbert Kadilo, the Manager of Public Relations and Corporate Affairs at NIRA, revealed that the children are an effective channel to relay birth registration messages to their respective parents.
“Out of the 12 items, we have tried to pack the birth registration message in three items that the pupils are competing for through their respective schools,” he said.
“They include themes in the set-piece, storytelling and the folk song so that the children get to feel the essence of birth registration. When the children learn and master the essence of birth registration, this message is easy to be relayed back to parents when they get back home,” Mr Kadilo added.
The activities which are expected to run for a week were officially opened by Mr Israel Mulindwa the commissioner in charge of secondary and basic education under the Ministry of Education and Sports.
Mr Centurio Balikoowa, an educationist and official at the national organizing committee said that the competitions were first organized in 2017 in Jinja City and then in Mbarara in 2018 before holding them in Gulu Municipality in 2019 where Buganda Road Primary School emerged the winner.
The first stage is notification acquired at the Sub County headquarters and medical facilities (formerly short birth certificate) so that the child gets a National Identification Number (NIN) at age zero (0).
