Kathmandu, November 17

Chief Election Commissioner Ayodhi Prasad Yadav said the trend of using schoolchildren in election campaigns had not stopped yet.

Speaking at a program in Kathmandu today, Yadav said election candidates had pledged not to use school kids in political activities but they had been breaking their vows. “It is necessary to make children aware of voting system, but using them in election campaign is not the right way to educate them,” said Yadav.

He also informed that Election Commission has been educating students from Grade 10 to 12 about election and voting rights through its information centres.

It was wrong to use children in election campaigns where the kids are even subject to consuming alcohol, said Anup Raj Sharma, Chairperson of National Human Right Commission.

Babu Ram Paudel, director General of Department of Education, said school buildings shouldn’t be used as voting booths as that would directly hamper classes. “A school should be run at least 192 days a year. Therefore, holidays given during elections should be compensated from the winter or summer vacations,” he opined.