The Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) signed an Intergovernmental Protocol Agreement on the 1st March in 2010 to establish a formal relationship of mutual cooperation, support and assistance. The two departments agreed to act in common pursuit of the aims and objectives of the Protocol Agreement and to explore different areas for collaboration.
The main focus of implementation thus far has been around the sharing and exchange of data between the Learner Unit Record Information and Tracking System (LURITS) and National Population Register (NPR) specifically concentrating on the verification of learner ID numbers on the LURITS against the NPR to possibly determine that learners who are in the education sector are truly enrolled and are not ghost learners.
It is also through this exchange of data that priority areas/districts around the country with high numbers of undocumented learners (without ID or birth certificates) can be identified to ensure that government targets these areas to provide civil registration services to all learners. This initiative supports DHA in targeting these learners by providing an easy access point for service delivery in deploying DHA mobile service units to schools to enable parents to apply for these documents.
A concerted emphasis has been placed on matriculants whereby ID numbers that were provided for those registered to write and are currently writing the matric exams were also compared to the NPR. The matriculants without ID numbers that were identified were targeted by DHA in a drive to assist with their application for ID documents. This will continuously be done for the current grade 11’s to promote their civil registration and ID document readiness in writing the matric exams next year.
Furthermore in the Kha Ri Gude Mass Literacy Campaign, which is an initiative to reduce adult literacy in the country, DBE checks the authenticity of all learners to eliminate any ghost learners and also verifies ID numbers for Monitors, Supervisors, Volunteers, Coordinators and Helpers involved in the campaign for payment to be made to correct and existent people. This initiative has saved the DBE thousands of Rands.
The two departments supported by the Council of Ministers have embarked on a Joint Learner Registration Campaign in response to the results of the data exchange process. The campaign seeks to communicate the basic information regarding registration to communities, bring awareness on consequences of late registration and thus arrive at a situation where it is second nature for children’s births to be registered within 30 days after the day of their birth and for the youth to apply for IDs or smart cards in the year they turn 16.
The campaign is hosting a closed dialogue event with the school community of Winterveldt on 11 November 2014. Among the invited stakeholders for the event are, school Principals, representatives from School Governing Bodies, Student Leadership, Home Affairs Stakeholder Forums, Traditional Leaders, Local Municipality, Religious Leaders, local non-governmental organisation (NGOs) and funeral undertakers.
The Directors-General of the two departments will address the session outlining key strategic issues relating to the respective mandates of their departments.
Participants will be given the opportunity to engage in an open discussion/dialogue with the leadership of the two departments about issues that concern them in the area of civil registration.
The Identity of learners is therefore very important, not just for our processes or to comply with policy but it also concerns the overall wellbeing of every learner, every child. We would like learners to:
- Have access to government services
- Take advantage of opportunities to study further
- Take advantage of bursaries and scholarships available from public and private organizations, such as Funza Lushaka
- Be able to take advantage of the available job opportunities
- Be able to do business in this country, and
Be protected from:
- early marriages
- child labour
- illegal inter-country adoptions
- commercial sexual exploitation
- Forfeiting their right to the minimum age of criminal responsibility and other legal protective measures for those that come in contact with the law.
In addition to the formal session, there will be service delivery point and information session at the Odi Water facility situated in Bakwena Street, Winterveldt which is aimed at allowing members of the broader community of Winterveldt to receive DHA services and information about Birth & ID registrations.
Important documents to bring to Odi Water Facility to register for a Birth Certificate are:
- A stamped original proof of birth or clinic card from the hospital or clinic
- Parents’ Identity documents (ID)
- If parents are married in civil or customary union, original or certified copy of marriage certificate is required
- If parents are not married, both parents must present themselves personally at the nearest Home Affairs office and bring along their ID documents, to sign and acknowledge paternity
- Fee: Free for first issue and R20 for re-issue
Important documents to bring to Odi Water Facility for late registration of Birth:
- Notice of birth (optional)
- Affidavit completed by informant stating applicants birth’s detail and life events
- Two recent photos of the applicant
- Original if document of the informant
- Certified copy of the informant’s ID document
- Optional (If applicant parents are married, a copy of the marriage certificate)`
- Fee: Free
Important documents to bring to Odi Water Facility to register for the first issue of an ID:
- Applicants need to be 16 and older
- Two recent ID-size photographs
- Original copy of your birth certificate
- Fee: Free
Important documents to bring to Odi Water Facility to register for a re-issue of an ID:
- Sworn affidavit
- Two recent ID-size photographs
- IDs number
- Fee: R140
Think about it, how can the government take care of you, if we don’t know who you are or that you exist? If you or your children are not documented, come along to Odi Water facility situated in Bakwena Street, Winterveldt to apply for your civil registration (identity document or birth certificate).
Enquiries:
Elijah Mhlanga (DBE)
Cell: 083 580 8275
Thabo Mokgola (DHA)
Cell: 060 9624982
