Questionnaires for the 2014 Myanmar Population and Housing Census have successfully been retrieved from all townships in the country and all have been delivered to the Census Office at the Department of Population on 6 May, 2014 in Nay Pyi Taw, the nation’s capital. The delivery of the questionnaires has gone according to schedule, and in time for commencement of the scanning process. So far questionnaires from 275 enumeration areas have already been scanned.

U Nyi Nyi, the Census Coordinator at the Department of Population, confirmed that all the questionnaires have been received and are now being prepared for scanning process. “The preparation involves checking the questionnaires one-by-one, ensuring that they are not torn or spoiled in any way that would obstruct the scanning process,” he said. He added that the process also involves confirmation that the identification code for every enumeration area is correctly completed, and that there are no duplicate or missing households. “We have to account for each and every household so that we are assured of complete coverage in all areas where we collected census data,” U Nyi Nyi added. 

Meanwhile, a team from Data and Research Services (DRS), the firm contracted by UNFPA for the scanning of the questionnaires, has arrived in Nay Pyi Taw to work with their national counterparts in the Department of Population to install the scanners, test-run them and commence the scanning of the questionnaires. 

Daw Khaing Khaing Soe, who is heading the Data Processing team said the scanning process will start during the second week of May, with two teams, of up to 60 staff each, working in shifts, and will be completed around October 2014. 

At the same time, a data entry team of 10 people is compiling computerized population summaries for each enumeration area, by sex. “This will enable us to prepare the preliminary report of the total population of Myanmar by geographical location, which we plan to release sometime in August 2014, if everything goes according to plan. So far our plans are perfectly on track,” said Daw Khaing Khaing Soe. 

The Census enumeration was undertaken from 30 March to 10 April 2014. The Ministry of Immigration and Population is implementing the whole census process with technical and financial support from UNFPA.