Information newsletter
Issue 5(17), May 2005

High-school students from the town of Burgas discussed access to information
Radka Baleva, AIP coordinator, Burgas

Why should we appeal access to information refusals, when this is a time-consuming procedure? There is a much easier way –tell the journalists about your problem, they write an article and there you have it – you learn what had been withheld before.

Journalists have a leading role in discovering wrongdoings in the society. You can trust them, but why do you have to turn to them when you want to read a copy of the internal rules of your school? Why can we, high-school students, read only those parts of the rules containing the obligations and the restrictions for the students? Shouldn’t we all know our rights? The answers to these questions were discussed by members of the Youth Parliament in the town of Burgas and the AIP coordinator, Radka Baleva. The high-school students – juniors and seniors from the French language high school and the high school of mathematics in Burgas - turned their attention towards the implementation of the Access to Public Information Act and the work of AIP. In their opinion, the idea to celebrate September 28 as the International “Right to Know” Day provokes people to think about their right to access government held information and - by asking questions - to exercise effective control over the work of the central and local administration. One of the best means towards this is AIP's handbook "How to Get Access to Public Information" because it answers all these important questions – who has the right to access public information, who is obliged to disclose it, what kind of information should be made public and what are the exemptions. Especially useful are the practical tips how to request information and appeal refusals before the court.

High-school students don’t think it’s legitimate for the Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski to request copies of their IDs when they apply for admission. In this respect, they rightfully ask the question whether these copies will be destroyed after the entrance exam. The students are puzzled why so many institutions – libraries, video clubs, sport clubs – collect their full name, address and personal identification number when issuing membership cards. And they ask whether their personal data are kept in line with the Personal Data Protection Act. At the end of the meeting, the members of the Youth Parliament of Burgas were convinced that they could not only count on journalists for help and advise; they could also turn towards Access to Information Programme. And so they lived happily ever after watched over by this fairy princess – the protector of the weak, and the counselor of the foolish.