As part of the inductions sixteen journalists got a first- hand account on the population count on Wednesday (5 March 2014) from Ms. Janet Jackson, UNFPA Myanmar Representative. Ms. Janet Jackson gave an overview of the census preparations as well as touched on the importance of the data collection as it will help generated much needed data for the country in terms of improving Myanmar's educational system and medical care.
“The census is a unique and historic opportunity for Myanmar to set a new definition and narrative in the country. The census will give a snapshot of the country as it is now, how many people there are and where they are spread across the country and what their living conditions are,” said Ms. Jackson. “The census will help push forward the on-going reform process.”
The group of journalists aged from between 21 to 26 years of age, work for the largest news outlets in the country, including Mizzima, Skynet, Popular, and MRTV. The UNFPA is the lead United Nations agency providing support to the Myanmar government in conducting the census which runs from 30th March to 10 April. USAID is supporting the census through technical assistance in communications and data processing.
The aim of the course is to improve on existing skill sets or capacity building in terms of writing, editing and accuracy news reporting, and for them to produce over 200 news articles on various topics, including the country's first census in over 3 decades.
"The course will teach them editorial and writing skills, including how to verify and draft accurate news reports," said Sue Ahearn, Team Leader from Census NewsLab Project, who is teaching the group journalistic skills. The course will run for 10 weeks and the group will travel to various locations across the country and report on events. As part of their first trip will be to Nay Pyi Taw, the nation's capital to see the census centre.
