The Department of Basic Education has decided to stop publishing matric results in the media/public.
Teacher and student unions have had mixed responses to a move from the Department of Basic Education to
On Monday, media houses were issued with a notice, stating that “the usual practice” of publishing matric results would not take place for the 2021 marks.
The department cited the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) as the reason, saying the dissemination of pupils’ personal information would be in contravention of it.
South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) spokesperson Nomusa Cembi said the union supported the move because it would benefit pupils.
She said:
The fact that the results are not being made public will lessen the pressure on learners. Teenagers are vulnerable and we often hear of cases of suicides linked to the matric results.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”Complying with the POPIA will respect learners’ privacy – why should the whole world know their marks? It’s fine for the public to know the general averages; they don’t need to know how individual learners have done.”[/perfectpullquote]
Congress of South African Students (Cosas) president general Thabang Mokoena said the union had been lobbying to have the publication of matric results scrapped for years.He added that pupils who failed matric often faced ridicule from their peers and could develop depression.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”We’re very grateful our calls have been heard. We’re trying to save learners,” he said.[/perfectpullquote]
The sentiment was echoed by South African Union of Students (SAUS) spokesperson Avise Dlanjwa.
The department cited the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) as the reason, saying the dissemination of pupils’ personal information would be in contravention of it
Avise Dlanjwa said:
Learners have a right to privacy. This decision is long overdue. There’s no reason why personal details should be published and we should be protecting the privacy of learners. This will also lead to better mental health among learners, and we welcome the department’s decision.
In a letter to editors, dated 10 January, department spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said pupils would be required to obtain their statement of results from the schools they attended.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”In this way every learner’s personal information with regards to the outcome of their National Senior Certificate exam will be protected,” he said.[/perfectpullquote]
The SA National Editors Forum (Sanef) said it would seek legal advice on the decision, given the late notice.
