Be warned: no national ID, no job in government
Dar es Salaam. If you are planning to secure a government job, then you must make sure that you hold a national identification card (ID).
The Public Service Recruitment Secretariat says that, by end of this month, all people applying for jobs in government must have obtained their national IDs to be able to fulfill their application requirements.
However, some graduates and trade unionists who spoke to The Citizen have expressed fears that many people could be locked out of jobs due to a tight deadline for issuance of IDs.
Through its portal [/portal.ajira.go.tz/>], the Secretariat says Tanzanians seeking government jobs must urgently obtain their National Identification Number (NIN) from the National Identification Agency (Nida).
A phone call yesterday by The Citizen to the recruitment portal Helpdesk confirmed the announcement.
According to the services provider, the system is yet to start operating - the announcement was meant to alert applicants to obtain IDs by November this year when the system would officially become operational.
Some new graduates have criticized the change, saying it aims at denying Tanzanians the chance to work in their government. Also, the deadline is too short for them to access the IDs.
“Due to changes made in the employment system... from the end of September 2019, you will be required to have a National ID number to complete (a jobs) application,” the posting reads in part.
Last May, the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) announced biometric registration of all SIM cards, supported by national IDs.
Until this September, only about 5.2 million mobile phone users (12 per cent) had been registered biometrically as required.
Concerns have been raised over the processes of accessing national IDs. This may lock some people out of key services, come the deadline. A graduate from the Tanzania Institute of Accountancy (TIA), Ms Glory Kailima, noted that the latest move by the jobs Recruitment Secretariat means that a many graduates may miss government jobs.
“The time-period which the government has set for job seekers is not fair. It would be considerable relief if the December deadline for SIM cards was applied for this matter as well,” she observed.
“…although they [Recruitment Secretariat] says one can apply using one’s ID number, to access the number is also not easy - while job vacancy deadlines are often short. How can a job applicant cope with that?” she queried.
Speaking to The Citizen on Thursday, Nida’s Information chief, Thomas William, said the agency has so far registered some 15 million people who would be able to access any national requirement through either an ID card or its identification number. “At the moment, while the exercise is ongoing, it is not necessary to have an ID card. The allotment number will suffice,” he said.
Trade Union Congress of Tanzania (Tucta) president Tumain Nyamhokya said that, although the national ID is an important tool for the government to know its people, not many have been able to access them.Applicants stake up to six months togeta response after applying for them at Nida.
“The time set is too short for one to apply for, and obtain, an ID,” he lamented.
This was seconded by another job seeker, David Rimisho.
