Student database to hold exam results for life
Personal details and exam results of all 14-year-olds in England to be held in an electronic database for life.
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Wednesday, 13, Feb 2008 12:00
The personal details and exam results of all 14-year-olds in England will be held in an electronic database for life under new government plans.
The information will be accessible by colleges and prospective employers who will be able to view details of the children's qualifications as well any exclusions or expulsion, the Times newspaper reports.
The database - known as Managing Information Across Partners (MIAP) - will also involve every student being issued with a unique learner number (ULN) which they will keep for throughout their adult lives.
Though the unique pupil numbers (UPN) currently used are abandoned once a child completes their education, the ULNs will not be, raising the possibility of a national database being created, with government agencies capable of tracking individuals from the age of 14.
Officials have denied that the ULN is the first step on the road to introducing national identity cards, yet the plans have been met with fierce opposition from parents' organisations and teachers' representatives.
Margaret Morrisey, of the National Association of Parent Teacher Associations, told the Times she suspected "there will not be more than two parents in the land who would have faith in the government that this information will be secure".
And John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, added: "Given the track record of government IT disasters and the possibility that all these children's records will end up in Iowa, this is a worry."
Mr Dunford was referring to the loss of the personal details of 25 million people by HM Revenue and Customs last year, which was followed by the revelation that data concerning three million UK learner drivers had been lost in Iowa.
In response to the criticism, Chris Banks, chairman of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), said the aim of MIAP is "to help a person keep track of their skills, achievements and qualifications made in school, at college, in the workplace and throughout their lives".
He added: "It will also simplify, streamline and improve how information is collected and shared across partners – from schools, colleges and qualification bodies involved in delivering further education and training."