Growing good citizens was top of the agenda on Wednesday when the SA Electoral Commission (IEC) commemorated Freedom Day by encouraging the youth to exercise their hard-earned right to vote during elections.
The commission invited pupils from Bethelsdorp Comprehensive School to commemorate the 1994 voting queues that led up to the Donkin Reserve voting station.
The pupils were educated about the importance of voting through mock voting stations set up at the reserve.
The event was part of the commission’s school democracy programme to encourage youth voter participation.
IEC regional outreach officer Lynn Jason said they had invited the school’s top 30 history pupils because the topic would likely align with their interests.
“One of our responsibilities is to promote voter education and strengthen electoral democracy,” she said.
“For the month of April, we targeted 20 schools with a focus on pupils between the ages of 16 and 18.
“We target those specific ages because that’s when they get their IDs and become eligible to register and vote.
“We also afford them the opportunity to register with us at the school.”
The programme ran throughout the year.
Jason said Bethelsdorp Comprehensive School was just one of the schools involved in the programme.
Others include Kwazakhele High School, Westering High School and James Jolobe High School.
She said the commission had introduced the programme after noting low youth voter participation.
The programme started after the commission signed a five-year memorandum of understanding with the department of education in 2019.
Education on democracy included teaching the youth to vote correctly to reduce spoilt ballots, Jason said.
Bethelsdorp Comprehensive School deputy principal Brenley Bruiners said the school had formed a relationship with the IEC, initially as a registration and voting station.
They were then approached by the IEC to get the school’s pupils involved in the school democracy programme.
“The pupils we brought here know the background of this day from their history curriculum.
“Today is a significant day for them because this is where they are encouraged to get their IDs and register to exercise their voting right,” he said.
Bruiners said the event helped pupils get a practical understanding of the importance of democracy outside the classroom.
Pupil Zukhanye Plaatjies, 19, said she had never voted before because she did not have enough knowledge about the process.
She said the programme had helped her not only understand the process and importance of voting but the history of the reserve’s heritage site.
Keano Brandt, 17, said she had a keen interest in learning about the history of SA from different perspectives.
“Even though we learn a lot about our history in school, I like to learn from another perspective.
“I chose to study history because I like to learn about where we come from and how we attain the freedom we enjoy today,” she said.
HeraldLIVE
Youth learn about voting through mock election
Image: Eugene Coetzee
Growing good citizens was top of the agenda on Wednesday when the SA Electoral Commission (IEC) commemorated Freedom Day by encouraging the youth to exercise their hard-earned right to vote during elections.
The commission invited pupils from Bethelsdorp Comprehensive School to commemorate the 1994 voting queues that led up to the Donkin Reserve voting station.
The pupils were educated about the importance of voting through mock voting stations set up at the reserve.
The event was part of the commission’s school democracy programme to encourage youth voter participation.
IEC regional outreach officer Lynn Jason said they had invited the school’s top 30 history pupils because the topic would likely align with their interests.
“One of our responsibilities is to promote voter education and strengthen electoral democracy,” she said.
“For the month of April, we targeted 20 schools with a focus on pupils between the ages of 16 and 18.
“We target those specific ages because that’s when they get their IDs and become eligible to register and vote.
“We also afford them the opportunity to register with us at the school.”
The programme ran throughout the year.
Jason said Bethelsdorp Comprehensive School was just one of the schools involved in the programme.
Others include Kwazakhele High School, Westering High School and James Jolobe High School.
She said the commission had introduced the programme after noting low youth voter participation.
The programme started after the commission signed a five-year memorandum of understanding with the department of education in 2019.
Education on democracy included teaching the youth to vote correctly to reduce spoilt ballots, Jason said.
Bethelsdorp Comprehensive School deputy principal Brenley Bruiners said the school had formed a relationship with the IEC, initially as a registration and voting station.
They were then approached by the IEC to get the school’s pupils involved in the school democracy programme.
“The pupils we brought here know the background of this day from their history curriculum.
“Today is a significant day for them because this is where they are encouraged to get their IDs and register to exercise their voting right,” he said.
Bruiners said the event helped pupils get a practical understanding of the importance of democracy outside the classroom.
Pupil Zukhanye Plaatjies, 19, said she had never voted before because she did not have enough knowledge about the process.
She said the programme had helped her not only understand the process and importance of voting but the history of the reserve’s heritage site.
Keano Brandt, 17, said she had a keen interest in learning about the history of SA from different perspectives.
“Even though we learn a lot about our history in school, I like to learn from another perspective.
“I chose to study history because I like to learn about where we come from and how we attain the freedom we enjoy today,” she said.
HeraldLIVE
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