Now classroom learning will make Indians RTI-friendly. The Act, ever since its inception in 2005, has been battling the poor public understanding of it. Government, therefore, thought about educating people young about the nitty-gritties of the Act by incorporating it in primary and secondary education. The National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) has started the efforts already.

The information provided by Kanta Kelkar, under secretary, NCERT, on July 23, under RTI says efforts are being made in the direction. The Act has been referred to in chapters of the textbooks of standard IX to XII. The issue of RTI has been dealt within the context of democratic governance. Besides, NCERT is developing supplementary reading material on RTI separately. “This should help strengthen the understanding and implementation of RTI Act in a better manner,” read the information.

The council started the efforts to include the RTI Act in school curriculum in 2006. NCERT textbooks based on the National Curriculum Framework (NCF), 2005 already highlight the importance of the Act as it promotes accountability and transparency in the functioning of the public institutions, says the information. The subjects like political science, economics and sociology have been incorporated with the references on the Act for students of Class IX, X, XI and XII. The books discuss RTI through narratives and cartoons.

Read more: Lucknow City – The Times of India