UGC Mandates Voter education

In order to spread awareness and building responsible citizens, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued a circular to all Higher educational institutions (HEIs), asking them to incorporate voter education and electoral literacy into the framework f the courses. A Memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Ministry of Education and the election commission of India(ECI) last year , on November 2,2023.

The aim of the initiative is to promote greater electoral participation, to prepare the students for future and new voters through formal education. As per the UGC’snotification, HEI’s are required to make electoral literacy an integral part of their courses, to motivate students to become well-informed and active participants in the democratic process.

To show support and agreement, the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL) and the department of Higher education (DoHE) are designed to implement a series of activities in line with the MoU’s aim. The plan shall including the following: -Integrating electoral content in curricula The colleges and universities are required to incorporate vote education in their syllabi, in a way that it fits various disciplines , considering the credit and learning needs for each discipline. -Updating textbooks and teacher training

The education bodies like National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) will also update the textbooks to spread electoral literacy. Moreover, the state boards and other education authorities are advised to adopt the similar measures as well. In addition, the teachers will receive orientation and training on how to teach these topics effectively. In order to maintain the integrity of the initiative, the UGC has focused that the programme should remain non-political and non-partisan.

The regular monitoring with be conducted out at both the national and state levels to make sure the goals are met without any political influence or bias. The main highlight of UGC is to focus on integrating the electoral literacy into the education system, it is expected to boost a more informed and engaged voter base, it is to help strengthen the democratic participation in the country.