The Information Regulator insists matric results will not be published in newspapers without consent from learners and their parents, despite a push back.
On Tuesday, IOL reported that pressure is mounting for the Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, to resolve the matric results publication headache created by the banning of publication by the Information Regulator.
On Wednesday, chairperson of the Information Regulator, Advocate Pansy Tlakula, said the matriculants have the right to privacy and that cannot be trumped by the financial interests of media publications which gain financially from publishing the results every year.
“The results are obtainable at schools. If you apply to get into university, the university does not rely on the result in the newspaper, you have to get the official results from the school.
“Second thing, there is an SMS facility that is available for the learners to obtain their results. They just register, get an OTP and you get your results instantly,” Tlakula said in an interview with broadcaster Newzroom Afrika.
She said the Information Regulator has directed the Department of Basic Education that the matric results can only be published after consent of the learners who are above 18, or parents of the learners who are younger.
“It’s based on the Protection of Personal Information Act (often called the POPI Act or POPIA) and as you know the act is there to protect the privacy of everyone.”
She stated that publishing results only with examination numbers also compromises the learners because the examination numbers are not random, but sequential.
jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za