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INTRODUCTION
Introduction - 2 proper function of this article requires right knowledge in right sense from right authority. In democratic form of governance, the ruling government is the right source of knowledge. Right knowledge creates right form of opinion. Right opinion leads to right speech and expression. There will be no fruitful result arise while exercising Article 19(1) (a) of the constitution without real and authoritive information. The freedom of speech and expression is regarded as the first condition of liberty. It occupies a preferred position in the hierarchy of liberties and giving help and protection to all other liberties. It has been truly said that it is the mother of all other liberties. In a democracy, freedom of speech and expression opens up channels of free discussion of issues. Freedom of speech plays a crucial role in the formation of public opinion on social, political and economic matters. Democracy is based essentially on free debate and open discussion. This is the only corrective measure of government action in a democratic set up. If democracy means government of the people, by the people, it is obvious that every citizen must be entitled to participate in the democratic process. Intelligent exercise of this right of making a choice, free and general discussion of public matters absolutely essential for the good democracy. The commencement of electronic media becomes new stage making public opinion. And during the last half of the past century the Supreme Court of India lifted the values of Article 19(1) (a) through several rulings. Law making bodies create statute for regulating different heads of governance. The government is constrained to make new rules and byelaws time to time to catch ultimate aim of the constitution. The government agencies are
Introduction - 3 limited to give awareness to the people regarding plans, schemes and programmes adopted recently. This situation requires independent and logical informative system in India. The result is Right to Information Act 2005. The movement for the Right to Information started from a courageous and powerful grassroots struggle of the rural poor for right to information in Rajasthan. It was a combat against rampant corruption in famine relief works. This struggle was led by Mazdoor Kissan Shakthi Sangham (MKSS). The resounding of this struggle led to the a nation wide demand for a law to guarantee the Right to Information to every citizen. It has wide spread support from social activists, professional, lawyers, politicians and the media who are committed to transparent and accountable governance and peoples empowerment. Meanwhile, responding to the public opinion the Chief Minister of Rajasthan on 5th April 1995 announced in the State Legislature that his government would be the first in the country to confer to every citizen the right to obtain for a free photo copies of all official document related to local development works. Later, some of the most practical moves for enforcing the right to information have arisen surprisingly from the members of the bureaucracy and the politicians. Frequent interactions at workshops helped to bring the issue in focus. The feed back is simultaneously compiles and feel to the policy makers. The Right to Information is not an elite issue but an issue of all citizens. It is a day-to-day issue relating to the legal right of an individual, often making a difference between drudgery and dignity, or sometimes between life and death.
Introduction - 4 Right to Information Act, 2005 is a landmark for good governance and can help the common citizen especially the poor and unprivileged to get their dues from Government. This law is unique in the sense that it has been the result of year of struggle by civil society and media. The doomed Freedom of Information Act led to sustained pressure for a better national enactment. The first draft of the Right to Information bill was presented to parliament on 22 December 2004. After Intense Debate, more than a hundred amendments to the draft bill were made between December 2004 and 15 June 2005, when the bill finally passed. The Act came in to effect on 13 October 2005. The Act covers the whole of India expect Jammu and Kashmir. It is applicable to all constitutional authorities including the executive, Legislature and Judiciary any institution or body established or constituted by an Act of parliament or a state legislature or by order or notification of appropriate government. In special circumstances bodies owned, controlled or substantially financed by government or non government organizations substantially financed directly or indirectly by funds provided by the government are also covered. Private bodies are not with in the Acts ambit directly. The Act specifies that citizens have a right to: (a) Request to any information (as defined) (b) Take copies of documents (c) Inspect documents, works and records (d) Take certified samples of materials of work (e) List of children enrolled and attending school, availing of scholarships and other facilities. (f) Rules related to
Introduction - 5 criterion and procedure for college admission, list of applicants with relevant details, and list of persons selected. (g) Rules related to criterion and procedure for selection of persons for appointment in government, local bodies or public undertakings, copy of advertisement and references to employment exchange, list of applicants with relevant details, and list of beneficiaries elected. Obtain information in from of print outs, diskettes, floppies, tapes, video cassette or in any other electronic mode or through print outs. THE CITIZENS MAGNACARTA The Right to Information Act, 2005, is hailed as the citizens Magnacarta. Our Constitution lays great stress on freedom of expression and freedom of expression would be meaningless without freedom to know. For the success of democracy, an informed citizenry is an imperative. The citizens political decisions should be buttressed by a fair knowledge of what goes on around. The Right to Information Act accords due recognition to these basics. Its preamble underscores the paramount importance, for the efficient functioning of democracy, of an informed citizenry, transparency of information in governance accountability to the governed, the only limiting factors operating in the field being questions of efficiency, resources and sensitivity of information. The most important issue, predictably, is what constitutes information. The Act defines it as any material in any form. Public authorities (which also have been defined in the Act) have, suo motu, to make public vital particulars about their functioning through prescribed modes. Decisions of the authorities have to be reasoned. Under
Introduction - 6 section 6 of the Act, citizens (only citizens of India have the right) have make a request in writing or through electronic means for the information they want. The lawmakers anxiety to see that the law serves its purpose is clear from the requirement that officials should even help the information seeker in making the request. No reason why the information is sought needs to be given. A time limit of one month has been fixed for supply of information, non-compliance being liable to invite penalty. On rejection of a request, the applicant has to be informed of the details of the appellate authority to be approached. Usually, this would be an officer under the public authority, senior in rank to the Principal Information Officer entrusted with the responsibility of supply of information. Section 8 of the Act deals with matters information on which need not be disclosed, like those concerning the sovereignty and integrity of India, those pending in courts of law, disclosure of which is forbidden by the courts, trade secrets, issues involving judiciary relationship between parties, information received in confidence from foreign governments, information that might endanger the life or physical safety of any person, details of criminal proceedings that might affect investigation or apprehension or prosecution of offenders, cabinet papers and purely personal information not having any relationship to any public activity or interest. Persons aggrieved by the decisions of the public authority (including the appellate authority) can appeal, within 90 days, to the State/Central Information Commission as the case may be. The Commissions decision is, normally, binding on parties. The commissions have wide powers such as imposition of penalty on
Introduction - 7 the delinquent officials and recommending disciplinary action against them in suitable cases.
Certain organizations have been specifically excluded from the purview of the Act like the Intelligence Bureau, the Research and Analysis Wing, Directorate of Intelligence and such other entities which are custodians of sensitive information. While a prescribed fee will have to be paid for supply of information, those below poverty line have been exempted from the payment. Admittedly, the Act has helped the citizen dig up crucial information that would otherwise have remained perpetually hidden. Authorities have started feeling a greater sense of responsibility in the performance of their duties. For understandable reasons, many still indulge in evasive tactics through supply of incomplete, irrelevant misleading information. Another handicap is that as the appellate authority often endorses the decision of his subordinate official, appeal proceedings have to be pursued with the State/Central Commissions, a process fraught with cumbersome formalities and delay. Proposals, vehemently objected to by Rights Activists, for amendments to the Act to ward off frivolous requests and to exclude file notings from its purview are on the anvil. All said and done, the Act is a laudable step in the right direction, and has, in its working, translated into practice, to a considerable degree, the ideals enunciated in its preamble.
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Introduction - 9 indecision because of incomparison between the skill and possibility. Proper information from the right authority arise this obstacles. Article 30 of the constitution gives Right to Minorities to establish and the administer educational institutions. The Article ensures unlimited protection to the students belong to the minority. The Government aid enhanced the functions of these institutions also. Any payment beyond the social equality under this mode may harm the interest of students belong to other community. In such a case the government is obliged to enact the statute and for placing 9th schedule of the constitution. This state of affairs makes grave concern and serious debates in the society. It requires adequate information and knowledge to achieve amicable settlement. The greater the access of the citizen to information, the greater the responsiveness of government to community needs. Alternatively the greater the restrictions that are placed on access, the greater the feelings of powerlessness and alienation. With out information people cannot adequately exercise their rights as citizens or make informed choices. The Right to Information has already received judicial recognition as part of the Fundamental Right to free speech and expression. It is imperative that an Act is needed to provide a statutory frame work for this right. This law will lay down the procedure for converting this right into reality. Information is
indispensable for the functioning of a true democracy. People have to be kept informed about current affairs and broad issues-political, financial, social and
Introduction - 10 economic. Free exchange of ideas and free debate are essentially desirable for the Government of a free country. In this Age of Information, its value as a critical factor in socio-cultural, economic and political development is being increasingly felt. In a fast developing country like India, availability of information needs to be assured in the fastest and simplest form possible. This is important because every developmental process depends on the availability of information. Right to know is also closely linked with other basic rights such as freedom of speech and expression and right to education. Soli Sorabjee stressing on the need of Right to Information aim at bringing transparency in administration and public life, says, Lack of transparency was one of the main causes for all pervading corruption and Right to Information would lead to openness, accountability and integrity. According to Mr. P.B. Sawant, the barrier to information is the ingle most cause responsible for corruption in society. It facilitates clandestine deals, arbitrary decisions, manipulations and
embezzlements. Transparency in dealings, with their every detail exposed to the public view, should go a long way in curtailing corruption in public life. Right to Information Act (RTI), 2005 is emerging as a potent weapon in the hands of citizens for ensuring transparency and accountability in administration. The functioning of bureaucracy, which was shrouded in the veil of secrecy, was causing lot of harassment to the common man. The Right to Information Act has brought relief to the much harried and harassed citizens. An Act to provide for setting out the practical regime of Right to Information for
Introduction - 11 citizen to public authorities in order to promote transparency and accountability in the working of every public authority the constitution of a central Information commission and state information commissions and for matters connected there with or incidental there to. Many research work were done on the basis of Right to Information Act and other related areas. Some studies are ; Anil Monga and Akshat Mehta (2007), in his study Right to Information Act, 2005 : key for effective implementation, he found that, It is heartening to note that government plans a Rs.300 crore push for Right to Information in the next five years. A major part of this plan will push for Right to Information in the next five years. A major part of this plan will however go towards creating a decent and modern office for the state information commissions. It would be better if government pays more attention to record management and its dissemination and earmarks sizeable amount for effective implementation of Right to Information in India. Tripathi (1986) in his study of the Efficacy of various methods of supervision in improving teaching-learning process and students achievement, Govt. Teacher Training college, Ajmeer. Studies for their comparative efficacy in the teaching learning process (i) planned supervision by the headmaster. (ii) Team supervision by the subject matter and (iii) self-supervision by the subject teachers. All the supervision were duly oriented is the use of observation schedule, writing remars and dimensions of all types of supervision they were concerned with. A five point rating scale was developed for this purpose. Inadition to the observation schedule common to all
Introduction - 12 the groups, use of separate proforma was made in teaching of Hindi. And to evaluate the performance of the students, achievement tests in these subjects were prepared by subject experts. The study revealed that was gains in the teachers performance under self-supervision were greater than under the other two methods of supervision. Vinod Joseph (2007) in his study Right to Information on a Broad Canvas, he found that, when the information asked for is not furnished within the time specified, the person responsible for supplying the information shall be punishable and liable to pay personally a fine of Rs.50 for each day of delay after the date on which it is required to be submitted. Chaudhary (1988) in his study A study to find out the efficacy of the concept attainment model for training pre-service teachers. He found that the concept attainment model was found to be effective in teaching concepts in science to students. However, though it developed critical thinking and the students were actively involved, most teachers and students felt that it was time consuming and bright students participated. Every Indian citizen has the right to know the details in all region except in certain private area. A efficient citizen is moulded through proper education. So in the present education system Right to Information Act and social efficiency has great importance. Corruption in many area especially in educational
Administration, UPSC, PSC etc can be detected and reduced by this Act. In the field of education no sufficient and effective study is done about this right. So it is a matter of great scope. So the investigator selected this topic for study. Hence the
Introduction - 13 study is entitled as Awareness towards Right to Information Act and SelfEfficacy of Higher Secondary Students.
Introduction - 14 1.2.2 OPERATIONAL DEFINITION a. SELF-EFFICACY It has been defined as the belief that one is
capable of performing in a certain manner to attain certain goals. It is believed that our personalized ideas of self-efficacy affect our social interactions in almost every way.
Introduction - 15 1.3.1 HYPOTHESES OF THE STUDY For reaching the above objective the following hypotheses were formulated. i. There is no significant main effect for locality on self-efficacy scores of Higher Secondary School Students. ii. There is no significant main effect for awareness levels on self-efficacy scores of Higher Secondary School Students. iii. There is no significant interaction effect between awareness and locality on self-efficacy scores of Higher Secondary School Students.
1.4.1 METHODOLOGY
Research methods are of utmost importance in any research process. They describe the various steps of the plan of attack to be adopted in solving research problem, such as the manner in which the problems are formulated, the definition of terms, the choice of subjects for the investigation, the validation of data
Introduction - 16 gathering tools, analysis and interpretation of data and the process of inferences and generalizations. The investigator selected normative survey method to realize the objectives of the study.
1.4.2 METHOD
Survey method was used in this study according to Best & Kahn (2006) The survey method gathers data from a relatively large number of cases at a particular time. It is not concerned with characteristics as individuals. It is concerned with the generalize results when data are abstracted from a number of individual cases. It is essentially cross-sectional in nature.
1.4.3 SAMPLE
The study was conducted on a representative sample of 400 higher secondary school students, drawn by following stratified random sampling from Thiruvananthapuram District.
1.5.0 TOOLS
The tools used for the study were , Awareness test on Right to Information Act, constructed by the investigator in collaboration with the supervising teacher. Self-Efficacy scale on Right to Information Act, constructed by the investigator in collaboration with the supervising teacher.
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Introduction - 18
Represents a summary of the study, major findings, educational implications of the study and suggestions for further research.