World Bank offers help to improve data processing

ISLAMABAD: The World Bank on Wednesday offered Pakistan its expertise in improving data gathering, compilation and analysis processes for better implementation of ongoing reform initiatives, a statement said.

The offer came ahead of a long-pending census scheduled during the next month. The statement, however, didn’t mention any World Bank’s input in the forthcoming census.

The country is expected to see its sixth population census in March. The last census was held in 1998 and the next one was to be done in 2008.   

“Being partners in development the bank has in the past helped various reform initiatives of the government of Pakistan,” the Bank’s country director Patchamuthu Illangovan said at a meeting with the finance minister Ishaq Dar. 

“It (the Bank) would continue to do so for any future reform and restructuring of processes aimed at increasing their efficiency and efficacy.”

The meeting discussed the mechanism and methodologies in place in the country for data gathering and compilation. 

Welcoming the World Bank’s assistance, minister Dar said the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) should use the Bank’s global expertise and make assessment of its processes with a view to fill any existing gaps. 

“The present government had boldly taken on various economic reforms and the process will continue in the future as well,” he said.  

Quoting the example of introduction of the cost of basic needs method of estimating poverty, he said it was need of the time “and the government took a bold step in adopting the new methodology.” 

“The government would follow a similar approach and continue to improve the processes and practices in the public sector in line with international best practices.”  PBS chief statistician Asif Bajwa briefed the meeting on the existing data gathering mechanism.   Bajwa said PBS has an elaborate set-up, which is updated from time to time in collaboration with international development partners, with a view to adopt international best practices.

In the past, the statistics division raised some issues on the data reported in the Year Book 2014-15, released in March 2016. It pointed out that the SBP’s data was not published in accordance with latest figures. 

Sources said the annual book is mostly based on secondary data received from other organisations, like the Federal Board of Revenue and other provincial departments. 

The sources said these flawed data are ‘highly embracing’ for such an important government organisation, especially when international organisations follow the PBS data. 

The PBS has been planning population and housing census for the last few years. 

Sources, however, said there is no coordination between the PBS provincial officers and head office. This lack of coordination and infighting has frequently been noticed.

They added that the main task of census has not been completed and work done so far is full of errors and mistakes due to the lack of coordination.

Shahid Javed Burki, ex-vice president at the World Bank shared the experiences of different countries around the world and highlighted the significance of a robust data gathering mechanism, for public policy making. 

“It is important to learn from the experiences of other countries and adopt the latest processes and techniques,” Burki said.