The Kingdom has just embarked on a census that involves a number of government agencies. The Ministry of Education is playing a leading role; many of its employees have been sent to do the counting. The success of the census will result in improved planning in many government departments which are involved in providing vital public services. Thus it is important for the census-takers to be completely professional. At the same time, the public must be aware of the importance of the information they are being asked to provide. Accurate and correct information is crucial which means the census-takers must also realize that their job is neither ordinary nor routine.
The census is not about knowing only how many people live in the Kingdom. That is important but it is not the only object. What is of the greatest importance is to use the information — the numbers — as a basis for planning the country’s future needs: In health, in education, in transportation, in communication and even in recreation. Of equal importance, the information should be used in determining future needs in terms of both training and jobs.
We hope when classifying the population, individuals with special needs and problems — physical and mental will be identified; it is not enough to give only the sex and age. Other vital details on social status, income, level of expenditures, marital status, including the number of marriages, divorce and such also must be considered since these constitute the basis on which social and economic researchers and planners build their work.
We hope too that the census will solve one of our chronic problems: The shortage — and sometimes the complete absence — of vital data and information. The first entity to benefit from the census should be the poverty fund; the census represents a real opportunity to learn the facts about the economic situation of Saudi citizens. In addition, we hope the census will also lead to improved health and education services. Underlying all our hopes for the census, however, is the necessity for full cooperation from the public.
