Elaine Edwards reports:
Discussions are continuing between the Data Protection Commissioner and the Department of Education on a new primary school database which will hold a range of personal information about pupils, including information about ethnicity and religion, and students’ special needs.
Primary school principals were asked to start populating the new Primary Online Database, which will also hold children’s PPS numbers, from the start of this school year. Schools for children with special needs were asked to begin adding information to it in recent weeks.
Some parents have raised concerns about the nature and implementation of the database, including the fact that the department wishes to retain the information up to each individual’s 30th birthday.
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