OSCE Centre supports election lessons for first-time voters in Kazakhstan

ALMATY, 15 November 2005 - Over 7,000 secondary school students from 10 regions of Kazakhstan who can cast their vote for the first time in the forthcoming presidential election on 4 December are today beginning a special course on elections, supported by the OSCE Centre in Almaty.

"In the run-up to the presidential election, informing and mobilizing first-time voters is particularly important. This work will greatly impact their perceptions of the electoral process, as well as their trust and willingness to take part in this essential element of state management," said Ambassador Ivar Vikki, Head of the OSCE Centre in Almaty, in his opening address at the training for regional co-ordinators of this project.

The two-day course, implemented by the partner non-governmental organization 'Elections - 2000', will be conducted simultaneously in at least 250 urban and rural schools across the country by a pool of specially-trained secondary school teachers. Students will learn more about democratic standards in the field of elections, including the features of Kazakhstan's electoral system and election day polling procedures.

The course for first-time voters and its methodology were developed by regional co-ordinators of this nationwide project.

In order to ensure that all secondary school students of voting age are able to make an informed choice in the future, 'Elections - 2000' is also lobbying the authorities to include the module on elections in the secondary school academic programme.

"Having this module as part of the school programme will greatly increase the students' awareness of the importance of elections and their own civic responsibility", said Ms Bakhytgul Aubakirova, teacher of Pavlodar Secondary School No. 34.

The OSCE Centre is implementing this project with the active support of higher education and election administration authorities of Kazakhstan, who also welcomed further initiatives on civic education.