This is very interesting and helpful.
I have been pondering this question and wonder whether there is a 'public
interest' issue in some circumstances.
We have a School of Nursing and Midwifery. Should their students'
qualifications be a matter of public record? If so, should that be a matter
solely for their professional bodies?
Mike Lloyd
Assistant Head (Academic Support )
Information Systems and Campus Services
University of Glamorgan
Llantwit Road
Treforest CF37 1DL
Tel: 01443 482417 Fax: 01443 482426
email: [log in to unmask]
> ----------
> From: Dennis Barrington-Light
> Reply To: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Monday, November 16, 1998 10:37 am
> To: [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Publication of examination results
>
> Some of you may recall that I have been in consultation with the Data
> Protection Registrar over the publication of examination results on the
> Web. (I should make clear that the results that are published are not
> marks but a class similar to that awarded for degrees at other
> universities. At Cambridge we don't class degrees but the examinations
> that qualify for admission to the degree). When initially we were advised
> that we could not do this I asked for an official ruling. This was
> basically because we currently publish our results in the University
> Reporter, our official journal with newspaper status. The Reporter is now
> also published on our web site so it was logical to include the results
> that regularly appear in it on our site. The question was therefore
> raised
> that if we were unable to publish on the web, were we able to publish at
> all? If we were unable to publish results what about degree lists which
> also appear in the Reporter?
>
> After a long wait for a response, I have now received the following reply
> from Mr Boyd of the Registrar's Office:
>
> 'As you know, advice has been given to schools not to publish examination
> results of their pupils without consent. We certainly receive regular
> complaints from school students who have been embarrassed at the
> publication in the local press of disappointing results. As a result we
> have advised those schools who have enquired that they ought first to
> obtain the consent of students to publication. I see no reason to vary
> this advice.
>
> While intuitively one may feel that the position of school and university
> students are different, logically, I see no reason why this should be the
> case although I freely concede that there have been very few complaints in
> this area. My advice to the Registrar, therefore, was that it is
> certainly
> arguable that the University is in breach of the first data protection
> principle in publishing examination results without prior notification.
> However, in the absence of widespread complaints or evidence of damage to
> the individuals affected, I have also advised that [she] should exercise
> her discretion, as permitted by S.10 of the Act, not to take action at
> this
> stage.
>
> You will be pleased to learn that the Registrar concurred with this
> advice.'
>
> I have taken this to mean that we can continue to publish both on paper
> and
> on the web until such time as the Registrar decides not to exercise her
> discretion. I accept that other universities have informed me during my
> consultations that they consider it inappropriate to publish results, but
> there are also many that consider this important to preserving the
> integrity of thier qualifications. It also enables us to continue to
> publish graduation lists for congregations.
>
>
> Dennis Barrington-Light
> Head of Student Records and Statistics
> University of Cambridge, 10 Peas Hill, Cambridge CB2 3PN
> Tel: 01223-332303 (Direct line) Fax: 01223-331200
> Email: [log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask]
>
>
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