On November 2, 2023, the Ministry of Education, the Government of India, and the Election Commission of India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Voter education and electoral literacy would be explicitly integrated into the school and college education systems, preparing future and new voters for greater electoral involvement.
One of the goals of this MoU is to familiarize young residents with the country’s electoral system and instill in them the desire to register as voters and participate in every election in a passionate, educated, and ethical manner.
The MoU also calls for the introduction/update of NCERT textbooks to incorporate electoral literacy as part of the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for Classes 6th to 12th, as well as the appropriate integration of voter education and electoral literacy in the curricular frameworks of all colleges/universities and adult education. This will be reinforced by providing teachers with the necessary training through the inclusion of the subject matter in teacher education course materials.
Apart from the classroom curriculum, the MoU also aims to spread awareness among students through Electoral Literacy Clubs in schools/colleges and Democracy Rooms in every senior secondary school, co-curricular activities, disseminating communication material on electoral literacy through various forms of media appropriate for school/college students, administering a pledge to vote by students, organizing mock polls, EVM-VVPAT demonstrations, information about ECI mobile apps, inculcating practices of free, fair and ethical voting in student union elections in colleges/universities etc.
Smt. Annpurna Devi, Minister of State for Education, provided the information in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha yesterday.
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