In the backdrop of two recent cases where students’ data was to be shared with private companies, the Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS) and several members of the Legislative Council have demanded an independent inquiry by the Criminal Investigation Department.
Over the past few weeks the issue of data security has been a matter of concern after the Department of Primary and Secondary Education entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a private company to share personal details of parents of students in government, aided, and private schools and PU colleges across the State. Although the MoU was cancelled, the department had already shared data of 2.5 lakh government school teachers.
More recently, the RTE Students and Parents’ Association, which helps parents file applications for their children under the RTE quota, pulled out of an agreement it had reached with an NGO to share data after the move was criticised by stakeholders.
JD(S) MLC Puttanna, while demanding an inquiry by the CID, also said there was a need for the department to penalise officials who provided the data. He said all department officials, including the Principal Secretary of the department should be punished if they are found to have violated the law.
He said violation of section 72 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, which states states that sharing personal data without consent of stakeholders can lead to imprisonment of two years or fine of up to ₹1 lakh.
D. Shashi Kumar, general secretary of the association, noted that the data of parents who were applying under the RTE quota for their wards was being leaked by the Education Department officials to the block level.
Mr. Puttanna said he would also demand a response from the Department of Primary and Secondary Education on why Principal Secretary Shalini Rajneesh was on leave when the II PU exam was on and the SSLC exam was only a few days away.
