By: Richard Mullah
The National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA) in consultation with education stack holders that include Ministry of Basic Secondary school Education (MBSSE), Teaching Service Commission (TSC), Sierra Leone Teachers Union (SLTU) and the Ministry of Higher and Technical Education (MTHE), in a public notice dated on the 19th October 2022 , has decided to reschedule the issuance of National Identification Number (NIN) to candidates of the BECE and WASSCE examination to November 2022.
The idea of the NIN was pioneered by the MBSSE as one of the requirements for candidate to enroll for the BECE and WASSCE examination.
Talking to A-Z, a pupil from Methodist Boys High school who was also trying to do his National Identification Number at the NCRA head office in Freetown, he lamented that they are finding it very difficult to go through the process because of the population at the center. “I want the MBSSE to extend these centers to different schools”, he advised.
Regina Kamara, a candidate also expressed her dissatisfaction about the process. According to her, she has been going to the NCRA for two weeks now.
According to NCRA, they have decided to indicate specific centres where candidates would be doing this exercise come November, 2022.
The NCRA Director General, Mohamed M. Massaquio noted that the NCRA offices across the country will remain closed to BECE and WASSCE candidates, but they are open to the general public for all CRVS and identity related services from 8:45 to 17:00 from Mondays to Fridays.
He advised candidates to continue to go to school until the schedule date and centers are communicated to the general public shortly, and also encouraged the general public especially school authorities, parents, guardians and pupils to continue to exercise patience and show maximum understanding with assurance that they would be attended to shortly.
