Chinsali District Commissioner Mary Chifuna says it’s not illegal for pupils to obtain green National Registration Cards (NRCs) as long as they meet the required age.
Ms Chifuna said the act is not wrong because all pupils who obtain the document have consent from parents through submission of details.
Ms Chifuna was responding to concerns raised by callers during a live radio program on Muchinga FM called hot issues.
Some callers questioned that it was not right for school going children to be represented by people who are not their parents to obtain an NRC.
Ms Chifuna explained that parents should not worry about their children obtaining NRCs while they are in schools adding that the idea is being done in good faith.
She also called on some citizens to be factual and engage authorities before publicising any information especially on the current mobile issuance exercise of NRCs and the forthcoming voter registration which will commencing soon.
And Kenneth Kaunda Secondary School head teacher, Kanyimbo kabise disclosed that so far 80 pupils from the school have obtain NRCs during the mobile exercise which was conducted at Lubwa School recently.
The DC also called on other stakeholders to join hands with government through publicity so that every citizen get an NRC.
“It is every Zambians right to obtain an NRC for them to prove that they are bonafide Zambians,” said Ms Chifuna.
She expressed worry that it will be challenging to reach the set target in Chinsali as many people who live on the river banks of Chambeshi River have migrated on to the other side of the river for fishing and rice cultivation which has made it difficult to reach them.
And a check by ZANIS in the areas where the NRC mobile issuance exercise is taking place in Chinsali District, the response of people obtaining NRCs is overwhelming.
At District Registration offices, more than 100 people were found being attended to and given NRCs.
Indeed, I got my NRC when I was in my 12th grade, but I had to go to the registration office. Issuing the same at a school without parents may be problematic, how do we know that the people being given the NRC are rightfullly entitled to them?
Its not illegal but it is if those pupils are underage.
The issue here is that people know what they did in Ndundumwezi were they registered everyone. That is the reason they do not want the old voter register discarded.
Obviously people are not raising concern about the students who qualify. People must have seen something fishy for them to raise concern. So don’t be quick to answer
Tell them. Do these goats know the eligibility criteria for obtaining an NRC
In rural areas most pupils are older, you can find a 16years old in Grade 9. What is wrong with issuing such a one with an NRC?.
Issuing NRCs to pupils who meet the criteria has not started now. During our time in Kaunda era, pupils aged 16 and above were given NRCs in schools and some of us who were under age could not get despite crying.
I have never understood this NRC issuance process in Zambia. Why is it attached to voter registration? Ba Zulu may help explain because when I turned 16 my father took me to the registration office and I got my card. I was still in school. Why doesn’t the government sensitise people about it?
@Kaizar Zulu. All ornithological species of identical plumage conglomerate within closest proximity. Your language embarasses your close friends. It makes one adumbrate that the avatars you associated with vocalise in the same way.
The saint you are dembobulating the English language hahaha
Why does this mangwamu called Kaizar deep into insults ayi
Iwe above please refer me to the insult in any of my comments above
All this craziness could come to a halt if Zambia ensured that every Zambian gets their unique ID number at birth – make it mandatory for parents to obtain birth certificates for every live birth. Acquiring a registration card would be easy as each and every Zambian would be on record from the very beginning of their life.
It is illegal to grab primary school pupils and give them NRCs. A Grade 7 pupil is less than 14 years old. You cannot give birth details of a child who is not your own child. Stop this nonsense!