Every year in April, the Electoral Commission of South Africa, together with the Department of Basic Education, teaches electoral democracy to young South Africans in public schools nationwide.

Educating learners under the theme “Not too young to learn about Democracy”, Schools Democracy Week aims to empower the young citizens of South Africa with the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for active citizenship and encouraging them to register and vote in elections, a critical step in nurturing our young democracy.

In addition, participating schools will be furnished with materials to set up mock voting stations with ballot boxes, voting booths and dummy ballot papers to strengthen the learning experience.
 

The aim of these lessons is to prepare learners to become active, engaged and responsible members of South Africa’s democracy.

Through these lessons and co-curricular activities, learners will learn about democracy, their rights and responsibilities as voters, how to register to vote, how to vote, how to think critically about democratic issues, and how to make the best use of social media as part of their participation in our democracy.

The lessons are CAPS compliant with the Life Orientation FET course. The specific topic these lessons fulfil is “Democracy and Human Rights”. Under this topic we look at principles, processes and procedures for democratic participation; responsible citizenship; the role of media in a democratic society; clarify own values and beliefs, and democratic structures.

We hope that your journey through these lessons provides stimulating and engaging activities and discussions, and inspires your learners to play their role in our young and exciting democracy.