The Electoral Commission (IEC), in partnership with the Department of Basic Education (DBE), today launched its annual Schools Democracy Programme to excited young citizens at Platinum Village Primary and Secondary School, in Rustenburg, in the North West province.

The programme, now in its 11th year, aims to encourage active citizenry among young learners throughout the country by engaging them in civic and democracy education and voter registration activities.

The 2023 edition of the School Democracy Programme (SDP) was launched by Angie Motshekga, the Minister of Basic Education and Judge Dhaya Pillay, a Commissioner at the IEC.

In 2022, the IEC’s SDP reached 160 000 learners at 2 000 schools, and saw more than 30 000 learners registered to vote. The Commission objective is to improve these numbers. The SDP is part of a larger Youth Democracy Programme, which kicked off in early 2022 with the campaign hashtag #YouthVoteMatters.

The objective of the campaign, especially in the run-up to the 2024 general elections, is to:

• Educate youth citizens about their civic and democratic rights and responsibilities;
• Engage youth citizens’ views about electoral democracy and impact of participation thereof through debate;
• Empower the learner and student electorate with information to participate meaningfully in democratic and electoral processes;
• Promote and conduct online voter registration using voter management devices at targeted schools and tertiary education campuses.

“Our goal is to create a new generation of active citizens, proud to register, participate in elections and begin to shape their own future,” says Sy Mamabolo, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the Electoral Commission.

“It is appropriate that, as part of the national celebration of Freedom Month, our efforts to get young South Africans to play an active part in creating their own future reaches a new level through this intensely focused Schools Democracy Programme.

“The Schools Democracy Programme is about empowering the young citizens of South Africa with the knowledge, skills and attitudes for active citizenship, and encouraging them to register and vote is critical to nurturing our maturing democracy. This is supported by research that shows that once people have voted, they usually continue to vote in future elections,” he adds.

The programme will see regional staff of the IEC visiting schools, both primary or General Education and Training (GET) schools, and high or Further Education and Training (FET) schools, nationwide.

During their visits, election officials will distribute advocacy materials, and engage with learners to hold debates on civic and democracy education topics. Other activities include mock elections where learners play the role of election officials and voters. The learners will register learners aged 16 years and older, who have a South African identity document, as voters on the day.

Minister Motshekga, who delivered the keynote address, said the SDP was an important launch pad to a broader continuous Democracy Education Programme, which is offered at schools in Human Rights and Values Education as part of Life Orientation.

Minister Motshekga said that, during the School Democracy Week, the Department of Basic Education and the Electoral Commission would collaborate in different provinces to embark on a campaign that aims to reinforce the curriculum offering on human rights, democracy and civic education.

Schools Democracy Week was first held in 2013 following the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between the Electoral Commission and the Department of Basic Education, to increase youth participation in electoral democracy.

For more details on School Democracy Week programme and material, please visit www.elections.org.za.

ISSUED BY THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION

Ensuring free and fair elections

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