The importance of right to information in education

Unused quotas and unspent funds constitute a criminal waste of educational opportunity for the most disadvantaged. This is a critical right to information issue. Does the media do enough?

The importance of right to information in education

By Sandy Feinzig and Swasti Rana

Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative

"If you have knowledge, let others light their candles by it."  This is the philosophical underpinning of the freedom of information movement. Freedom of information and in particular, the right of access to information held by public bodies, has attracted a substantial amount of attention recently.  In recent years many countries have taken steps to enact legislation giving effect to this right.  By doing so, these countries join others around the world which have a long tradition to right to information, such as Sweden, the United States, Finland, the Netherlands, Australia and Canada. However, the right to access to information has not been realized by the majority of India’s people.  Rather than protecting citizens right to information, India and other developing countries have created a "poverty of information" through sanctioning an official culture of secrecy.  And the media in these countries  has not done enough to counter this culture by procuring information and putting it  in the public domain.

Freedom of information should be analyzed at several different levels.  For certain segments of society, for example, the middle and upper classes, access to information often times simply makes life a bit more secure or stable. However, for those who are poor and struggling for literacy, right to information becomes crucial. Without access to information, the most vulnerable become even more disenfranchised.

In the past, right to information has often been an academic exercise in transparency couched in esoteric terms detached from the realities of grassroots organizations and movements. However, we know from the struggles of these groups that the right to information, if guaranteed and implemented in the right spirit, can empower communities to take charge of their lives by participating in decision-making and by challenging corrupt and arbitrary actions at all levels. This empowerment is particularly significant in developing countries, such as India, which is a nation afflicted with low literacy rates, high birth and infant mortality rates, social and economic tensions, class, caste and communal conflicts, gender discrimination and a relatively poor record of civil rights.

Climbing down from the ivory towers of academia results in a greater understanding of the significance of right to information.  A walk around any slum or disadvantaged community reveals a multitude of concrete examples where the people¿s right to information is not simply an academic exercise, but rather a matter of survival, security, or sustenance of life.

Education underpins a person’s ability to access important information.  When there is no freedom of information regarding educational opportunities, the entire project of obtaining information is jeopardized. For example, while attendance at a college or university often guarantees a continuance of the status quo for those in the middle and upper classes, for a disabled person from a lower class, admission to university often means an escape from poverty. 

A recent news story (Times News Network : June 6, 2002) highlights how a lack of information can bar the economically disadvantaged from opportunities already present. Though poor and visually impaired, two sisters managed to finish their secondary school in good standing, and had aspirations to attend university and to then become teachers. However, neither they nor their family had any knowledge that due to their physical impairments, they were eligible to apply for