Save the Children: Great Response for Children’s Election

Children's Choice.Photo: Audun Braastad / NTB scanpix

Children in the 5th to 10th grade will have their own election for the first time, in parallel with the school-election for pupils in High school. So far, 8,000 have casted their vote.

The pilot project, with an own children’s election campaign, party programs formulated for children and websites, according to Redd Barna been popular.

“It seems like we have taken on the need in schools when it comes to tackling politics in a fun and exciting way, so that the kids will engage. They think it works very well as an educational program, says section leader for Save the Children Norway’s program, Thale Skybak to NTB.

All children in the 5th to 10th grade have had the opportunity of voting online for the party they think should have  power from Monday onwards. There were about 8,000 votes cast from 9am to 9pm, but an increase is expected until the deadline ends at 6 o’clock on Thursday.

“It’s hard to say how many people are going to vote. But our goal is that as many children as possible will be involved in political matters that concern them, learn more about their right to participate, how politics work and what democracy is. In a longer perspective, we hope that the children are better prepared to vote when they reach 18, says Skybak.

Since the election completely digital, the votes will be counted by a computer, but the lists will be cleaned for cheating and an error margin will be calculated. The final result will be published at a press conference on Friday at 12 noon.

 

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today

 

————-