Big announcement about Matric results for 2024

South Africa’s Information Regulator has made a landmark decision to halt the publication of matric results in newspapers, sparking significant debate and a clash of perspectives on privacy and public access to information.

This decision, rooted in compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), marks a fundamental shift in how matric results will be shared, ending a long-standing tradition many view as integral to the national educational landscape.

For decades, matric results were published in newspapers, providing an easily accessible platform for students, parents, and the general public to view these vital academic outcomes.

Typically, the published information included examination numbers and, in some cases, ID numbers.

However, on 4 November 2024, the Information Regulator issued an enforcement notice to the Department of Basic Education (DBE), ruling this practice violated privacy laws.

The regulator stated that the publication of such results without explicit consent breached Section 11 of POPIA, which mandates lawful processing of personal data and emphasises the need for informed consent.

The Information Regulator’s directive follows its assessment of the DBE’s compliance with POPIA.

The regulator explained that the traditional publication of results lacked the required consent from learners or their guardians.

Without this legal basis, the DBE was instructed to shift to compliant methods of disseminating matric results.

These methods include making results available directly at schools or through a secure SMS platform managed by the department.

According to the regulator, the aim is to protect learners’ personal information and ensure that they, along with their guardians in the case of minors, retain control over how this sensitive data is shared.

The decision has far-reaching implications.

Moving forward, the DBE must develop a system to obtain explicit consent from learners or their guardians before allowing the publication of matric results in any media.

The regulator has warned that failure to implement such a system could result in further restrictions, including a ban on publishing the 2025 matric results in newspapers.

The DBE has indicated its intention to comply with the enforcement notice, signalling a move toward more secure and private methods of sharing results.

Learners will now access their results through school offices or secure digital platforms.

This shift aligns with broader trends in data privacy, ensuring compliance with modern standards while safeguarding the confidentiality of young individuals’ personal information.

Despite the regulatory intent to protect privacy, the decision has sparked criticism from groups advocating for public access to information.

AfriForum, a prominent civil rights organisation, has announced its intention to challenge the decision in court.

According to Alana Bailey, head of cultural affairs at AfriForum, the regulator’s decision undermines transparency and restricts a tradition that has become a national fixture.

The group asserts that previous court rulings support their position and is preparing legal action to overturn the enforcement notice.

This development has reignited a broader debate about the balance between privacy and transparency.

Advocates of the regulator’s decision emphasised the need to protect learners from potential misuse of their personal information, especially in an era of heightened data sensitivity.

On the other hand, critics contend that the decision limits accessibility and imposes logistical challenges for the public and media, who may find it more cumbersome to access results through individualised platforms.

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