Crisis over shortage of paper

The Government is unable to process birth certificates as a result of a paper shortage. This has complicated matters, especially for parents whose children need to join school.

Death certificates, which are a requirement for families to carry out services such as transfer of property, are also difficult to come by.

It is unclear how long the crisis will last while parents’ pain and anger continues to pile over the unnecessary shortage.

Frustrated applicants countrywide have for three weeks been lining up waiting for the crucial documents, often having to repeatedly return to the issuing offices to no success. New applications are, however, still being received despite the shortage.

Schools are required to register learners using their birth certificates, which are a mandatory requirement in generating UPIs (Unique Personal Identifiers).

It is the UPI that is required to track students through school.

The Standard did not receive an official explanation from the Department of Civil Registration.