District Commissioner for Dowa, Stallichi Mwambiwa has challenged the District Training Team (DTT) in Dowa to ensure the oncoming exercise to update the Unified Beneficiary Registry (UBR) provides quality data for effective implementation of programmes and interventions in the district.
Mwambiwa made the remarks Tuesday during the official opening of a five-day DTT training session in the district.
The exercise aims at training the team as trainers of trainers for the upcoming data collection exercise.
The district commissioner said collection of quality data does not only depend on enumerators, but also the district training team which is integral in building the capacity of enumerators and spearheading the data-collection process.
He said UBR is crucial in identifying participants in important programmes like Social Cash Transfer, Enhanced Climate-Smart Public Works programmes and others, hence the need to have quality data to rid of mishaps that occur.
“However, we sometimes blame enumerators for poor data, but the genesis of quality data collection begins with you. If you properly train and lead the enumerators, the data will be of high quality, but if you fail, then the whole exercise fails and you will be at fault.
“Therefore, you must own this noble exercise because it is not you who will directly benefit from this but rather the ordinary person in Dowa. With this, I expect your total dedication to the exercise for the whole duration,” said Mwambiwa.
He then urged the participants to the training to ensure the data being uploaded into the system should be of highest quality and that there should not be any hesitation in replacing any nonperforming member.
While calling on the team to ensure that enumerators capture data from all villages, communities and households they will be assigned to, the DC also reminded the DTT members it was their responsibility to use the resources prudently in the exercise.
Some of the areas covered during the workshop, which also involved members of District Social Support Committee, include UBR Policy Framework, data collection process and, roles and responsibilities.
Speaking during the same exercise, Principal Economist responsible for Poverty Reduction and Social Protection Division in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, John Funny Mwale said they have put in place measures to ensure that there is no room for manipulation of data input activities.
“We have a facility which will show the time when an interview was conducted which will be cross-checked in relation to the number of household members, distance covered from one household to another and other variables.
“We will also have spot-checks and GPS mechanism which will show where and when one was. As such, any kind of ill activity should not even be taken into thought,” he said.
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