NRD: MyKid card still valid for registration purposes

The star

BY LOH FOON FONG

PETALING JAYA: Although the National Registration Department (NRD) has temporarily stopped issuing the MyKid card, the document can still be used to register children in both government and private institutions.

The move to stop issuing the MyKid, a card issued to children below 12, had resulted in some parents wondering if the document is still recognised as a form of identification.

NRD public relations officer Jainisah Mohd Noor assured parents that the existing MyKid cards could still be used.

An undated brief announcement on the NRD website said the issuing of the MyKid card had been temporarily stopped until April to enable the NRD to improve on its security and other features.

It said the MyKid card had a chip that contained birth, health and education data.

It is portable and reduces the use of paper forms when dealing with government or private agencies such as hospitals or schools, while its security features prevent abuse.

“Those who cannot get one now can apply for it when it is re-introduced,” said Jainisah.

She said the MyKid card would be upgraded as it had been in use since 2003.

Lecturer Andrei Chew, 31, said he went to register his son’s birth in October and was told that no more MyKid cards would be issued.

“There were a variety of answers given but they did not know why the card was no longer being issued,” he said.

Chew, whose son was born on Sept 13, said parents he knew were not aware of the NRD announcement or when it was posted.

“The department should make a clear public announcement with an explanation, put up notices and inform its staff properly and not give people the runaround,” he said.

Moreover, the NRD need not stop issuing the MyKid card even though they were upgrading it, he said.

Some parents said the credit card-sized MyKid was useful as it was easier to carry than the A4-sized birth certificate.

Businessman Paul Sebastian, 39, said he carried his 20-month-old daughter Vanessa Maya Sebastian’s MyKid card around with him as it would be useful in the event of an emergency such as sending her to the hospital.

Housewife Nellie Song, 45, said the MyKid card did not seem to serve any purpose for her as some government processes still required one to produce birth certificates, including passport applications.

“I can’t recall any occasion where they asked for the MyKid card. In official forms, you are required to fill in the MyKid number but are not required to produce it,” said Song, whose son Wong Jun Wei, 11, has a MyKid card.