The Education Ministry said school principals and head teachers cannot release any information about children without the consent of their parents under the provisions of the Media Industry Development Decree 2010 that is already in place.

Education Minister Filipe Bole has urged schools to understand the provisions in the decree that refers to children.

Bole said under the media decree media organizations are not allowed to interview or take photograph of the school children without permission from the school authorities.

Bole also said the decree addresses the approach that a media organization should make whenever sent on an assignment to schools and in the case where the school principal or the head teacher are ignorant of this, the journalist should inform the school management about the decree.

He added that media organizations should make arrangements before entering the school compound so that there is enough time to seek the approval from the parents.

Bole has also urged parents and guardians to be media literate so they are able to monitor the radio, TV programmes, movies and advertisements that children are exposed to adding that the media decree provides the guidance and the legal framework to select what is right and wrong for the children.

Story by: Praneeta Deo