His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, yesterday urged citizens and residents in the emirate of Sharjah to participate in the Sharjah Census 2015 and cooperate with census teams.In a televised statement, His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan Al Qasimi said people’s participation is highly important for making decisions that will help officials lay down plans and improve services for all members of society.His Highness encouraged Sharjah's people to cooperate with census teams by giving them correct data and the information they need, highlighting that personal data and information provided to census researchers will be treated as confidential and will not be shared with anyone or be published.A study based on the census results will be carried out and everyone in the emirate will feel a positive impact on their lives as a result, His Highness said. His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan Al Qasimi also said that the census was launched to gather data with focus on six community elements including the elderly, orphans, widows, divorced and abandoned women, the disabled, job seekers and uneducated people.
Regarding the elderly, His Highness said that Sharjah launched many initiatives to serve older people, including a mobile dental clinic and provides physical therapy. The census will determine how many elderly people there are and what services they need.The census will help identify the number of widowed, divorced and abandoned women and determine their needs including the condition of their housing, their income and their children’s needs.“I am here not speaking as a Ruler, but as a father or a brother. Each woman is my sister, mother or daughter, and I urge them to tell us what they need. We are not seeking to create a problem but to find a solution,” His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan Al Qasimi said.His Highness also spoke about the need to know about orphans and provide them with the care they need. On the disabled, His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan underlined the necessity to identify their needs and living conditions so as to ensure they are given the attention and care they require.
The census will also help to identify job seekers and their qualifications in order to find them suitable jobs. Regarding those who did not complete their education, His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan said that the Occupational Diploma has been introduced for them and the census will help to determine who hasn’t applied for this and how to reach them.The count phase of the Census began on Sunday, December 6 and is the final phase of the Sharjah Census 2015. The count phase follows the completion of the data gathering phase of the census launched in October and concluded on 19th November. This phase will run for three weeks and includes gathering data directly from families and field auditing by observers and researchers to make sure the visits are conducted properly to ensure data obtained is accurate.
The Higher Committee for the Sharjah Census 2015 sent text messages to all residents who registered during the data gathering phase. Members of the public who wish to complete the survey themselves can do so through online applications (iCensus) available on the website www.sharjahcensus.ae. The text messages contain their user name and password in order to allow the completion of the self-counting electronically, without the need for researchers to visit their homes. Self-counting is open to all residents in Sharjah, even those who originally preferred the conventional method carried out by researchers, but from December 5 researchers will visit families that did not register electronically in order to conclude the census operations. Held under the slogan, "For a Better Tomorrow", the census will provide accurate and reliable statistical data to be used in serving the development, economic and social sectors of the emirate. It is largest statistical operation ever launched in Sharjah, covering every element of society including families, individuals, properties and structures. The census will provide comprehensive and accurate data about all establishments within the emirate of Sharjah and will also identify the economic activities of these establishments.