In a move that critics are describing as reminiscent of the ‘1984’ George Orwell novel, the education and employment ministry has been empowered to request schools to provide it with detailed and highly sensitive information on any or all individual students ranging from as early as childcare and kindergarten right up to university level.
While the collection of data such as sex, age and educational attainment may be run of the mill stuff, what is concerning is that the legal notice that will force schools to provide information on students’ ability and, somewhat cryptically, “other data of the persons to whom they relate”.
Although the data, according to the legal notice, will be used “for research purposes and to provide for adequate advice to be given on employment prospects and to prepare plans for their training”, the prospect of nameless officials being given ability reports on individual students at the ministry’s behest is being viewed by many as going a step too far.
And should a school official fail to accede to such a request by the ministry, that person will be guilty of committing an offense against the Employment and Training Services Act.
Legal Notice, LN 76, tabled in parliament by Education and Employment Minister Evarist Bartolo in parliament and published in the Government Gazette, will now give the right to the minister to request any form of data on any child attending an educational institution, unless the Opposition presents a motion to revoke the LN before the 7 April deadline (Monday).
The LN has been incorporated in the Employment and Training Services Act. The ETC falls under the remit of Evarist Bartolo, the minister responsible for education and employment.
Through this Legal Notice, the minister can also request any data from ETC, including a legally valid identification document number, in relation to persons listed on the register of persons seeking employment as established by article 11 of the Act and any other information it may have about any other person.
This legal notice comes at a time when the mixed ability concept in schools is under review by the government.