Agency
The Ministry of Education has prohibited schools, media outlets, and other personnel from publishing student’s examination results and photos citing the violation of data protection and privacy laws.
For years, schools, parents, and the media have advocated for the publication of candidate’s results, particularly those who perform exceptionally well.
Schools often viewed this as an advertising tool to showcase their educational success, while media outlets, used these publications to drive readership and viewership.
On examination release days, both online and print media were often flooded with photos of schools and students, highlighting their performances, with some institutions even purchasing advertising space.
Parents joined in by sharing their children’s results on social media platforms, while schools displayed the results on posters and notice boards in public spaces.
However, this practice has now come to an end.
During the release of last year’s Uganda Certificate Examination-UCE results, the Minister of Education Janet Museveni said that the Office of Personal Data Protection has drawn UNEB to the provisions within the Data Protection and Privacy Act, Cap 97 that prohibits the publication of personal data of children. Many students, particularly those with lower scores, have struggled with the emotional weight of comparing their achievements to those of their peers, leading to distressing outcomes such as self-harm and even suicide.
