The government is keen to meet the Opposition and the KSU University Students' Council to discuss their concerns over the legal notice published last month, authorising the Education Minister to request personal information of people attending educational institutions.

The Opposition is expected to file a motion in parliament to repeal the legal notice, saying that the government was trying play the role of the big brother and spy on  students' lives.

Education Minister Evarist Bartolo told timesofmalta.com that the legal notice had to be amended as the proviso in the Education Act of 2006 did not cover educational research focusing on the transition between the end of obligatory education, higher education and work. The research would permit the government to carry out tracer studies on students who either seek employment or else further their education.

The Education Minister refuted claims that the government was playing the role of big brother saying that the kind of information they were after was the subjects chosen by students in higher education, their performance and the kind of job opportunities they had.

He said the legal notice was not introduced by stealth but through the proper channels, a month ago, and with the blessing of the Data Protection Commissioner.