Fianna Fáil Party Whip Seán Ó Fearghaíl has said that questions remain to be answered regarding the ‘Primary Online Database’ (POD) currently being rolled out across all primary schools.
Speaking after raising the matter in the Dáil Deputy Ó Fearghaíl commented, “As a parent I was astonished to discover that the Department of Education is collecting sensitive information such as the cultural and ethnic background of pupils. Such information should not be a factor in deciding educational needs. The department must ensure that the collection of such information stops immediately.
Deputy Ó Fearghaíl also called on the Minister for Education to ensure that any information collected unnecessarily is permanently erased from the POD database.
“My colleague Charlie McConalogue TD has raised very significant concerns regarding the security of the POD database. These concerns are yet to be addressed in a satisfactory manner by the Minister. In light of this the department must move to permanently erase all information that has been gathered unnecessarily” said Deputy Ó Fearghaíl.