NEW DELHI: To familiarise students with their roles and responsibilities as future voters in the election process, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (
NCERT
) has included chapters on electoral literacy in school textbooks.
A
Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) on electoral literacy was signed recently between the
Election Commission of India
(ECI) and the
Ministry of Education
to include relevant study material for the students.
Speaking to
Education Times
, CI Issac, chairperson, NCERT committee for Social Sciences, says, “In a democratic society it is essential for children to know their responsibilities and culture as a citizen. The decision to include chapters on electoral literacy will educate them about the election process and also in turn help in the smooth conduction of election in a diverse country like India.”
Electoral literacy fosters a better understanding of the democratic process and the importance of voting. It includes information on the government; the principal economic, social and political issues that the nation is facing; the value of democracy and the equal rights of women and men among others. The voters must have a clear idea and opinion to ensure a
healthy democracy
.
The new curriculum will begin from the academic year 2024-25 and expected to be like the ones in Civics books.
“Teaching on electoral literacy already existed in the form of Electoral Literacy Clubs for the last two years. The decision to include chapters on electoral literacy is welcoming. It will create awareness about elections which the students will know right since childhood. We already teach them about election and democratic rights from classes VI to XII. The books under consideration are not yet ready. The chapters will be included in the Civics books and taught by Political Science teachers and the Civics teachers,” said NPSC chairperson Sudha Acharya.
“The students are enthusiastic about the upcoming new chapters, which is a positive approach. They should be made aware of the power of democracy and understand their democratic right,” added Acharya.
Earlier, under the Systematic Voter Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) campaign, a flagship programme by the Election Commission of India (ECI), electoral literacy clubs were set up in school and college campuses across the country.
According to the Election Commission, mainstreaming of electoral literacy through educational institutions is necessary as it is imperative that young people’s voice is heard and educating and empowering students through well-designed strategic interventions in electoral literacy would help in generating a population capable of comfortable and confident electoral participation. It would also help i exercising informed and ethical ballot decisions.
The MoU underscores the curriculum to incorporate electoral literacy formally into the school and college education system. This includes structured curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities, all of which will help in preparing future and new voters for greater electoral participation and in effect strengthening democracy. It is crucial to capture the attention of young minds and educate them about the significance and value of their vote in every election, states a release from the Ministry of Education.
“NCERT’s decision to introduce electoral literacy in the school curriculum can help students develop a deeper understanding of the functioning of democracy, the political systems, and most importantly, the rights and duties of citizens which is crucial for informed and responsible citizenship. This would also lead to the development of critical thinking skills among students and empower them to make informed political decisions, participate actively in the democratic process. It will lead to increase in our voter turnout in future elections since the informed and politically literate youth would be more likely to engage in voting as they grow older,” says Nidhi Saxena, PGT History and MUN Coordinator, Genesis Global School, Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
The initiative also seeks to address issues such as apathy among urban and young voters, as a crucial aspect of Continuous Electoral and Democracy Education. This integration seeks to motivate future voters to participate more actively in elections, fostering responsible citizenship. The collaboration aims to empower young people by bridging the knowledge gap among the youth and first-time voters, says the Education Ministry.
English (US) ·