Shillong, March 6: The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer Meghalaya has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Education Department on Wednesday in Shillong.
The collaboration aims to introduce electoral clubs in schools across the state.
The Director of the Education Department, Meghalaya, Swapnil Tembe, affirmed the strategic move, stating, “Our commitment to fostering well-rounded citizens led us to initiate this collaboration. By incorporating democracy into the syllabus and establishing electoral clubs, we aim to cultivate a deeper understanding of the democratic process among students.”
He also said students who turn 18 years should immediately get a voter ID card, mostly 18-19 of age are missing from the voters list, but with this collaboration we hope that lots of improvement will be there.
The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Meghalaya, B.D.R.Tiwari while addressing the media said the Election Commission of India in view of the forthcoming election Lok Sabha 2024 has come up with this idea of collaborating with the education department, for the larger participation and especially to create awareness among the young voters and to activate the electoral literacy club in the School and colleges.
He also said that they would help the electoral literacy club, even though it is an old concept but some of them are not proactive and functional on the ground.
“This collaboration is not just about education; it’s about empowering the youth to actively engage in the democratic process. By introducing these concepts early on, we are preparing the next generation of voters in a more comprehensive manner,” he added.
As the state takes a pioneering step towards integrating democracy into education, this strategic collaboration between the Education Department and Election Department is poised to shape a generation of citizens well-versed in the principles and practices of democracy, fostering a more engaged and participative electorate in Meghalaya.
