Karwar: To educate future voters and first-time voters on their electoral rights and familiarise them with the electoral process of registration and voting, the Election Commission has organised many programmes. As part of the awareness programmes, Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELCs) have been opened in several schools and colleges in Uttara Kannada district. The clubs began functioning on Tuesday.
The ELCs will conduct awareness activities in higher primary schools, high schools, PU colleges, ITIs, diploma colleges, universities and other institutions. Through these clubs, more than 20,000 students studying in 275 schools and 116 colleges in the district will be given information on the electoral process aimed at making citizens informed and ethical voters.
Informing about this, Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Mohammed Roshan, who is also the chairman of Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) committee in the district, said that through the ELCs, the Election Commission wants to motivate eligible youths to cast their vote in the election without fail. The clubs will also make them understand the value of their vote and the need to exercise their franchise in a confident, comfortable and ethical manner. It will familiarise students with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), and teach them about the electoral process.
“Students must realise their responsibility to cast their votes once they attain 18 years of age. They must experience the happiness they get by voting for the first time. So, the Election Commission has sent a circular regarding this to all schools and colleges through the district administration. Already, 100% online registration has been done in the district,” he said.
How does ELC work?
Through the ELC, eight hours of training programme will be conducted for the students in the entire academic year. Children will be told about constitutional, legislative and legal provisions, technological innovation, and role of the Election Commission, courts, media and other stakeholders in the poll process through board games and card games.
As per the directions of the Election Commission, one lecturer, preferably from the Humanities Department, in colleges and two teachers in schools will act as nodal officers and mentors for ELC. These mentors are not supposed to endorse any political view and must tell the students about the electoral process with a neutral point of view. The ELCs meant of the students, by the students and for the students, will have student office-bearers. They will be elected following a democratic model through elections. One student will be elected president and another vice-president. The president will work in coordination with the nodal officers and will help in arranging the activities for students.