Electoral Literacy Now To Be Part Of Curriculum, Agreement Signed Between Election Commission and Education Ministry
Delhi, 25th January 2024: In an effort to enhance electoral literacy among students, universities are now mandated to incorporate Voter Education and Electoral Literacy Courses across various faculties, with due credits allocated for completion. The Electronic Literacy Club, as part of its initiative, will deploy trained Campus Ambassadors in schools and colleges.
This will be facilitated through online/offline training sessions for nodal teachers. Additionally, the state’s higher and technical education department has emphasized the organization of demonstrations featuring mock voting EVMs and VVPATs, along with competitions focusing on electoral literacy, in collaboration with local election authorities.
A significant milestone has been reached with the signing of a social agreement between the Central Election Commission and the Union Ministry of Education, aiming to ensure electoral literacy among students. Consequently, the Department of Higher and Technical Education has issued an ordinance to implement necessary measures in non-agricultural universities and affiliated colleges. Teachers will undergo training to effectively impart electoral literacy education. Using databases like UDISE, students who have completed 17 years of college will be registered, and those who have turned 18 will be encouraged to fill out online voter registration forms to obtain voter identification cards.
The ordinance advocates for a comprehensive understanding of the country’s electoral system among potential voters. It emphasizes instilling in them a keen desire to register and participate ethically in every election. Electoral literacy clubs, in addition to other co-curricular activities, will be established in colleges to raise awareness among students. Notably, January 25 has been declared National Voter’s Day, and students are urged to spearhead voter awareness campaigns.
A credit system will be instituted for further higher education. The ordinance emphasizes the adoption of an ethical voting system to ensure free, fair, and unbiased elections at the student body level in colleges where such elections take place. Electoral literacy awareness programs are mandated to commence as part of this ordinance.
