Staff Reporter :
The Election Commission (EC) is preparing to roll out its largest training initiative to date ahead of the 13th National Parliamentary Election, with over 1.16 million participants expected to be trained over the next five months.
The programme will formally commence on 29 August with training for core trainers. Approximately 10,850 political activists will be
trained as “master trainers,” who will, in turn, instruct their party polling agents on election duties, polling procedures, and relevant legal provisions.
A similar initiative was introduced before the 12th parliamentary elections but had limited impact. EC officials are now hopeful that greater engagement and the entry of many new political parties will improve outcomes this time.
“Polling agents are the eyes and ears of political parties on election day. If they are well-versed in electoral rules and responsibilities, it will ensure smoother polling,” said SM Asaduzzaman, Director General of the Election Training Institute (ETI).
The training programme, estimated to cost between Tk 110-120 crore, will cover 23 modules.
Of the planned participants, around 1.09 million will include presiding officers, assistant presiding officers, and polling officers.
The numbers are based on an estimated 45,000 polling centres and may be adjusted once the final count is confirmed.
In addition, law enforcement personnel, executive and judicial magistrates, returning officers, election inquiry committees, journalists, and both domestic and international observers will attend orientation sessions.
About 50,000 members of law enforcement-including armed forces personnel if deployed-will also be trained.
Furthermore, 4,000 journalists and observers will receive instruction on electoral laws.
Despite the ambitious scale of the programme, officials acknowledge challenges in ensuring participation, particularly among political activists.
In previous elections, some trainees showed little interest in educating party agents, while others faced harassment or arrest during the programme. Senior EC officials remain cautiously optimistic that the current political context will encourage better engagement.
The training is being rolled out in phases. Initially, 75 core trainers will undergo instruction in two batches on 29-30 August and 5-6 September. These trainers will then guide more than 1,500 “trainers-of-trainers” in September, before field-level sessions begin.
The EC is awaiting the passage of amendments to the Representation of the People Order (RPO) to finalise new training manuals; in the meantime, existing rules and guidelines will be applied.
With the election schedule expected to be announced in December and polling likely in February, the training programme is positioned as a key component of the EC’s efforts to ensure a credible and orderly election.
