|
-The Times of India
The citizen empowering tool of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, is finding it tough to make an entry into the text books of the state high school syllabus. The AP State Council for Education Research and Training (APSCERT) had accepted the state information commission's proposal to introduce RTI in Class VIII text books in 2010. It was then decided that the lesson on RTI would be included in the curriculum of the 2011-12 academic year but till date there has been no progress in this regard. The lesson would be missing in the next academic year of 2012-13.
The SCERT authorities, however, say that the lesson would be included in the academic year of 2013-14. "The inclusion of the lesson got delayed because we are revising the syllabus of various classes phase wise as per the Right to Education Act-2008," said B Seshu Kumari, director, APSCERT. "We have recently revised the Class VI and VII syllabus and very soon would work towards revising the syllabus of Class VIII, IX and X," she said. Seshu Kumari further stated that when the Class VIII textbooks are revised, the committee would take cognizance of the RTI lesson under the new category and implement it.
"We have got various recommendations and since the RTI is a vast subject we would implement it appropriately," she said. Another senior officer of the APSCERT said that the project might have been delayed since the inclusion of a RTI related subject was a strenuous exercise and would need widespread consultations.
While the APSCERT authorities say that the lesson will be well on its way in to the textbooks soon, the information commission says they have been pursuing it ardently. Jannat Hussain, chief information commissioner said, "We have been pushing for the inclusion of the lesson in the high school syllabus. We are pursuing the proposal as and when possible."
The RTI already finds a reference in the Class V textbook of the environmental sciences subject. The RTI related lesson was included in the academic year of 2009-10 following pressure from the civil society groups on the government. However, inclusion of the RTI Act in the syllabus seemed to have serve the purpose as the right usage of the RTI Act was not conveyed properly," felt B Ramakrishna Raju, convener of United Forum for RTI campaign who was instrumental in getting the RTI subject lesson included in the Class V syllabus.
Raju, who had in the past met the concerned officials to include the lesson in the high school syllabus, said, "Though it is important that Class V students get familiar with the RTI Act, it is essential for the students to know about the existence and utility of the act as it would benefit them," said Raju, citing a recent instance of a Delhi school boy who had lost his bicycle and used the RTI to pursue the progress of the case.
|
