The Ministry of General Education has called on the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to work with the Ministry for enhancement of voter and civic participation.
Speaking on behalf of the Ministry, Director Open and Distance Education Beatrice Moya said it is essential that voter and civic participation are enhanced and not duplicated.
She was speaking at the ECZ review workshop which is aimed at evaluating Voter Education School Clubs (VESCs) that have been set up across the country.
“The school club is a great initiative and certainly there is room for improvement and this workshop I believe is the platform that will take it to even greater heights,” said Mrs Moya.
She stated that there is need for concerted efforts in order to develop more impactful and innovative programmes in line with voter education thus the call on ECZ and other stakeholders to join forces with her Ministry.
And speaking through a press release ECZ Public Relations Manager said the Voter Education School Club initiative is aimed at instilling a culture of integrity, patriotism and civic participation among Zambian learners.
Ms. Margaret Chimanse said the initiative will be implemented through dissemination of voter education messages involving learners in the fight against electoral malpractice, encouraging participation in electoral process and creating a pool of volunteer voter educators among youths.
She explained that through the establishment of Voter Education School Clubs, teachers and pupils have access to electoral information which enables them to understand the electoral process and participate in a meaningful way in elections.
“I wish to encourage you to participate fully in the process, as it is cardinal in delivering credible elections and expanding the voter base and turn out in Zambia” said Ms. Chimanse.
She added that the Commission employs various platforms and mechanisms to effectively reach out to the diverse Zambian population.
The initiative to establish Voter Education School Clubs commenced with the establishment of one club in each provincial centre in 2013 and the number has since increased to forty clubs country wide.