2024 Matric results to be withheld from newspapers, says Information Regulator

The Information Regulator has directed the Department of Basic Education (DBE) not to publish the results of Matric 2024 in newspapers, and has asked to get permission before doing so in future.

14 Nov 2024

Source: Pexels

This comes as the Information Regulator issued the DBE with an enforcement notice for not being compliant with section 11 of the Protection of Personal Information Act (Popia).

The DBE was found to have breached personal information processing laws by failing to obtain consent from learners and their parents or guardians before publishing matric marks in newspapers, MyBroadBand reported.

“The IR found that no legal justification existed for the DBE to continue with the publication of the results in the newspapers,” the Information Regulator said.

Alternatively, the DBE should give the results to the learners in a manner that is compliant with the PoPI Act.

The Information Regulator directed the DBE to obtain consent from 2025 matriculants and their parents or guardians before publishing their results in newspapers.

The DBE must also create a system to obtain consent from learners for this purpose. If the enforcement notice is not followed, the regulator has instructed the DBE not to publish the 2025 matric results, according to MyBroadBand.