Education has now become the most important need in the field of politics. Seeing the present condition of politicians in India, they should be educated as a priority as they do not even know much about History, Politics, Constitution, Laws and even geography of the country that they are part of. They are very much confined to their regions or constituencies or their community and petty ideological prisons, boxes of belief systems and abyss of selfish interests. Moreover, on the other hand, the common man is yet to understand the meaning of their constitutional & legal rights, political participation and Right to Vote. Votes are being sold like a commodity. Whoever offers the highest bid votes are being given in their favour. Politics is the key to social change. Politics is never about just jobs, backdoor appointments, grants of illegal contracts, favours or selling of Vote. Politics has a higher meaning. It is a tool to chisel out the social destiny of mankind- and to understand this Mass Level Political Education is necessary.
POLITICAL EDUCATION: A PREREQUISITE OF THE MULTITUDE
Beyond the broad definition of politics as a process of competing claims, one should also define politics as an activity involving the common people influencing the acts and policies of a government.
As we understand it, education is a process of inviting truth and possibilities, of encouraging and allowing time for exploration. Education entails treating everyone equally and without distinction. It also implies assisting the regular people by passing on the knowledge that you and I have.
Now if we corelate politics and education it is political education that comes up . Everything improves with education. And politics may be found everywhere. So, how about we marry these two and see what happens? It’s possible that some good will emerge from it. It is vital to embrace the truth that politics has a significant impact on education. Politics is required for education to exist and advance. They are, in some ways, intertwined.
The aim of education is to provide everyone with the opportunity to play an active role in moulding the future of a democratic society, and political education attempts to motivate individuals of all ages to participate in democratic societies and communities. Political education is essential for improved political skills, knowledge, and democratic involvement. It provides an awareness of political linkages such as supremacy and power dynamics.
Goals of political Education
The goal of political education is to get people interested in politics and to become responsible citizens by teaching them how to analyze and asses a given political situation. Its objective is to teach basic knowledge on how politics works,developing an understanding about politics and encouraging involvement in politics i.e to learn the significance of voting .
Why Political education is important?
A good political understanding is important not only for teaching politics, pursuing a career as a professional politician, or working in a government ministry, but also for working in numerous specialised institutions and voluntary organisations, voting, and having political conversations. I am convinced that requiring political education for the general public would raise the number of young people voting, boost political engagement overall, and reduce misinformation in a matter of years. Yes, it is acceptable to claim that political education is important and necessary for everyone for the reasons stated above.
IMPORTANCE OF VOTING
We live in a perplexing environment, and we cannot expect young people to go from pure ignorance to political comprehension without some assistance. There is a very solid reason why young people vote less frequently than their elder colleagues. It’s because they haven’t had enough time to surround themselves with enough opinionated pals, or because their life circumstances haven’t pushed them to grow up on their own.
The only way to get people to those polls, short of making voting mandatory, is to make them understand why their vote DOES matter, even in the grand scheme of things. Who wouldn’t vote if they understood that their vote could make their lives and the lives of their loved ones immeasurably better?
Speaking of Indian democracy, I feel that everyone should vote since we have the ability to choose who will rule over the office, and this also allows us to have a say in this political arena. The entire process of a democracy is to have a say in the political scene and to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard, and this is what makes up a democracy with everyone engaging in it.
From a lot of statistics, is is a known fact that young people do not vote especially from the age ranging from 18-24.
Below is a chart provided by BBC survey that shows that young people have no interest in politics around the world.
People frequently feel that a single vote will not make a significant difference, but this is far from the case, and people must see this as soon as possible. Young voters are notorious for undervaluing the value of voting, yet their voices matter on both sides of the aisle.
Few reasons why young people must vote are:
- Young voters account for half of the voting population, making them a powerful political force.
- Every vote counts.
- The youth can sway away the election
“Voting is not only our right, but also our obligation,” this saying goes a long way in informing us that we have responsibilities as citizens of the country. To ensure that we citizens run and take care of our country, we must vote. Many Afghans are unable to vote, and others have died fighting for this privilege. We should not ignore the opportunity to vote as a prize, but rather be responsive and participate in it.
Voting is the technique by which a common man can convey their political opinions to the average person. It is critical to recognise that elections serve as a backbone for democracy because they allow us to choose the best person to lead the country even when everything else fails. As a result, we must recognise that voting for the correct person can have a ripple effect all around us. An election ensures that the government is for the people, by the people, and for the people.
Degree of Thought is a weekly community column initiated by Tetso College in partnership with The Morung Express. Degree of Thought will delve into the social, cultural, political and educational issues around us. The views expressed here do not reflect the opinion of the institution. Tetso College is a NAAC Accredited UGC recognised Commerce and Arts College. The editors are Dr Hewasa Lorin, Dr Aniruddha Babar, Khangpuiliu Pamei, Rinsit B Sareo, Meren and Kvulo Lorin.
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