Prime Highlights
- The Tamil Nadu Directorate of School Education will now process and respond to RTI petitions online, enhancing transparency and efficiency in the education department.
- The initiative aims to reduce delays and ensure timely, accurate responses while promoting digital governance and accountability.
Key Facts
- A circular issued by Director of School Education S. Kannappan instructs all departments to use the official government portal and appoint trained staff for online RTI responses.
- Public Information Officers (PIOs) must submit reports by the 5th of each month, while Primary Education Officers will send consolidated reports by the 10th of every month.
Background
The Tamil Nadu Directorate of School Education has decided to process and respond to Right to Information (RTI) petitions online, marking a major step toward improving transparency and efficiency in the education department.
According to a circular issued by Director of School Education S. Kannappan, all departments functioning under the Directorate have been instructed to complete the required formalities for providing RTI responses through the online portal. The circular directs officials to appoint specially trained staff to give quick and accurate replies to petitioners.
According to the new guidelines, each Public Information Officer (PIO) must collect RTI petitions from the official government portal and respond to them online without delay. The circular requires officials to track each RTI response individually and send the records to higher authorities by the 5th of every month. Meanwhile, the Primary Education Officer must send a consolidated report by the 10th of each month.
To implement this smoothly, each subordinate office will assign a special officer and a typist to handle RTI-related work. The director has urged these officials to make sure that all RTI replies are issued within the specified timeframe.
“This initiative will make the RTI process more effective and reduce delays in providing replies,” said a department official. “It will also encourage more citizens to use RTI efficiently for important matters.”
The move reflects the department’s effort to enhance transparency, accountability, and digital governance within Tamil Nadu’s education system.
