Education department heads to court in bid to have matric results released in media

15 December 2024 - 10:50
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The basic department of education will publish the matric results notiwithstanding the information regulator's bid to stop the publication. File photo.
The basic department of education will publish the matric results notiwithstanding the information regulator's bid to stop the publication. File photo.
Image: 123RF/paylessimages

The issue around the publication of matric results on media platforms has reared its head again as the basic education department has filed papers in the Pretoria high court in an effort to set aside the enforcement notice issued by the information regulator (IR).

The regulator issued the department with an enforcement notice in November, prohibiting it from publishing the results in the media. The notice was over what the IR said was the department's noncompliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (Popia).

The department, however, is adamant that publishing results in their present form, which includes only examination numbers and results, does not identify the pupils. 

The department filed papers in court on Friday in a bid to have the enforcement notice set aside.

The appeal means that the enforcement notice has been suspended and that the department will proceed and release results to media houses who will publish in terms of the established practice in which only exam numbers are used,” said department spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga. 

He said the department's argument is that publishing the matric examination results in its current format in newspapers is “not information related to an identifiable pupil”. 

It also does not contravene section 11 of the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPI).

The department said the information regulator is bound by a court order that settled the lawfulness of the release and publication of the matric examination results in the present format in local newspapers. 

TimesLIVE


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