Accomplished academicians turned students again as they took to learning various aspects of the country’s famed electoral system.
They will move on to train school and college students, the future voters who will exercise their right to franchise in a few years’ time.
The two-day training programme organised by the Department of Elections for 44 school and college teachers from across the State, who have been designated district-level master trainers, commenced on Monday, as a precursor to the launch of electoral literacy clubs in educational institutions in the State.
They are being trained by five State-level master trainers, who received training from the Election Commission of India.
Formally launching the programme, Teeka Ram Meena, Additional Chief Secretary and Chief Electoral Officer, Kerala, stressed on the necessity to ensure involvement of young voters in the democratic system. The electoral literacy clubs were aimed at propagating electoral literacy among students and those who were not covered under the formal education system, he said.
The target population, especially those between the age of 14 and 17, would be educated on voter registration, electoral process, and related matters by providing them with hands-on experience. Familiarisation to electronic voting machine (EVM) and voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines was also aimed at impressing students on the integrity of the system.
Mysterious system
“People seldom realise as to how much effort has gone into the electoral process. Many view the system as mysterious, even while it remains transparent in all aspects. The clubs must succeed in removing doubts and apprehensions from the minds of the people. The bureaucracy in India, right from the village officer to the electoral officer, has put in their best efforts to ensure neutrality and dedication. Notably, the compliance levels to the system in Kerala is much higher than in other States,” Mr. Meena said.
While the State registered poll percentages of around 77%, efforts must be made to attain a coverage of 85%. The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) also emphasised on the need to ensure ethical voting. Bogus voting would pollute the health of the voting process, he said.
Shedding the conventional lecture mode of pedagogy, the workshop is being undertaken in an activity-oriented manner so as to engage children effectively at later stages.
The classes are being led by the State-level master trainers P.M. Indira, Biju Lekshmanan, S. Harigopal, Viji and Ramesh. Additional Chief Electoral Officer B. Surendran Pillai also spoke on the occasion.