Election literacy programme for the students to be introduced in HEIs
The official said the institutions will also organise mobilisation campaigns and participatory activities including pledge to vote by students, organising mock polls, EVM-WPAT demonstrations
Election Commission of India (ECI)
CHENNAI: With Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed recently between Election Commission of India (ECI) and Ministry of Education for providing electoral literacy, universities and colleges here will be carrying out series of activities including training the teachers in imparting electoral literacy in the classrooms for the students from January 2024.
As the general elections is expected to be held in 2024, the ECI is implementing it's flagship programme titled Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) that aims at universal and enlightened participation of all eligible citizens in elections especially students in Higher Education Institution (HEIs).
As a part of implementing the SWEEP programme here in the state, a senior official from the Higher Education Department said the management of the institutions were instructed to integratevoter education,voter education and electoral literacy appropriately in the curricular framework in a manner and to the extent of credit and hours suitable for different disciplines.
Accordingly, online, offline and blended training will be given to the faculties for organising Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELC) activities and appoint campus ambassadors (students) in colleges to lead the ELC activities.
The official said the institutions will also organise mobilisation campaigns and participatory activities including pledge to vote by students, organising mock polls, EVM-WPAT demonstrations, information about ECI mobile apps, conduct competitions for electoral education and outreach.
"The HEIs will also monitor the electoral literacy programme in their campus to meet the objectives and to ensure the non-political and non-partisan character of the collaboration", he said adding "similarly, there would be introduction of poll literacy awareness progarammes wherever elections to student bodies are held for inculcating practices of ethical voting right".
Pointing out that the electoral literacy programe will be starting from January 2024 in HEIs, he said "all the activities of the institutions will be reported to the ECI and lessons leant in the matter".
