Election Training module for Bangladesh

In the run-up to parliamentary elections due by early 2014, UNDP’s Strengthening Electoral Management in Bangladesh project is supporting the Election Commission of Bangladesh to conduct BRIDGE training modules and develop a pool of accredited facilitators.

Following a recent workshop on Gender & Elections, UNDP and the ECB took advantage of the presence of a BRIDGE Expert facilitator (Skye Christensen) in country to conduct an additional BRIDGE workshop for election officers.

The workshop took place over June 24, 26-27 in the National Institute for Local Government. The workshop participants included officials primarily from the District and Upazila level – none of who had attended a BRIDGE workshop before. Two co-facilitators joined Skye to conduct the workshop, Mohammad Manir Hossain, a District Election Officer of Habigong and Mohammad Al Mamun, Upazila Election Officer of Purbodhola, Netrokona.

The workshop curriculum was based on the Electoral Training Module, modified to focus on the methodology and curriculum development skills that were most relevant to the participants. The course was run in the style of the BRIDGE Train the Facilitator workshop. Facilitators modeled the BRIDGE approach to training on day 1, on days 2 and 3 the participants developed and implemented their own curriculum based on recommendations.

The participants created engaging new training material and evaluated the workshop very well – encouraging the organizers to continue to implement BRIDGE throughout the ECB.