Synergy : Learning aid for raising constitutional awareness

Abstract

A country is run by the government, judicial bodies, its people, and most importantly by the Constitution. The Constitution serves as the backbone of the country. It is the collection of many rules and principles that comprise the organisation of the nation�s legal bodies. It defines the way we live and interact with each other. The Constitution is the embodiment of fundamental regulations and principles according to which the country and its people are supposed to work. Therefore, understanding the Constitution is very important. Access to Justice is fundamental for democracy, essential to human development, ensuring democratic governance and for the purpose of dispute resolution and prevention. India�s judicial and legal system has constitutional and legal safeguards for access to justice; an independent judiciary and other voluntary and information channels like media. The country has progressive laws in many areas such as the recognition of historical injustices, the importance of group rights, and affirmative actions for vulnerable sections, including women and children. Legal and judicial reform include improving the efficiency of the justice delivery system for marginalized groups, who do not have strong lobbies to ensure that their rights are guaranteed. Such reforms while being thought of in terms of institutional and organizational changes are not possible without information delivery, public participation and discussion. Radical changes occur at the grassroot level, in people�s minds, particularly among the young who grow up and become members of society. People being legally literate, bring positive changes in mindsets and attitudes. In a democratic and civilized society, there is no scope for widespread cases of rights violations and increasing trend of crimes against disadvantaged sections. India has a large body of legal professionals who specialize in their domain but the legal terminology and underlying context are largely inaccessible to the general public. This becomes a limitation when people continue to live ignorant lives, accepting injustice and not knowing if their rights are being violated or their actions violate the rights of others. Considering the size of the country and the need for mproved access to justice for people, information access becomes one of the most important considerations while addressing the problems at hand. This becomes critical for starting discussions, inspiring behaviour and taking action in otherwise unideal socio-economic reality. India has one of the world�s youngest populations. Children of today are adults of tomorrow. Constitutional knowledge is imparted at the school level to students. Knowledge delivery and assimilation are further affected by the quality of education. After a certain point, students stop learning about these topics and eventually forget them. Therefore, it becomes important to address the gap in learning that occurs. Learning occurs in a somewhat isolated manner having no real connection to the real world. When there is misinformation, when people are confused, they can always return to the ideals that founded the Indian democracy. The project�s topic is somewhat specific to Indian democracy, but the ideals of equality, freedom, and justice are universal,so there is a conscious effort to keep them as a foundation for any discussion, whether looking at it as a part of the system, in terms of abstract concepts, or grounded in the reality of the situation. The project is about more than just designing information; it is about encouraging a way of thinking, interconnecting concepts, a learning approach that can be extended to other areas of life, and encouraging a holistic way of learning. According to the findings of the study, students found it difficult to answer basic questions about the constitution, rights, government, and other topics covered in school. It was also discovered that the majority of students understood some social problems but were unable to connect them to their classroom learning. Their learning was restricted to the purpose of examination. All of the students agreed that it wasimportant to have some constitutional awareness because it was related to their daily lives. The goal of this project is to impart some fundamental constitutional knowledge in the context of a real-life situation. The proposed medium is a learning aid in the form of flashcards.