The Directorate of Civil Registry, Nationality, Passport and Immigration, together with the Central Equatoria State Ministry of General Education, has launched a school-based registration exercise to provide National ID cards to Primary Eight and Senior Four candidates.

The initiative aims to help students obtain nationality identification documents ahead of national examinations while reducing the cost and time spent travelling to registration offices.

Speaking at the launch, Director of Civil Registry, Nationality, Passports and Immigration Major General Elia Costa said the program will bring services closer to students.

“For students to move to the headquarters to process the documents, it needs a lot of transport money, and sometimes they have to come back another day. That is why we came up with this initiative to go to schools and process nationality cards, especially for Senior Four and Primary Eight,” Costa said.

He said the program is starting in Juba and will later be expanded to other states.

Central Equatoria State Minister of General Education and Instruction Lupai Satimon Andrew said the initiative will prevent students from missing classes while seeking registration.

“Instead of these students leaving their time for studies and going to pursue the nationality card, it is now brought to them,” Lupai said.

The school-based registration follows an earlier announcement by the Directorate in June on plans to facilitate easier access to National ID cards for learners.