Educational institutions in Hong Kong are custodians of our city's future—our students. This guardianship extends to their personal data, one of their most valuable assets. From HKID numbers on enrollment forms and sensitive health records to academic transcripts and family information, schools and universities handle an immense volume of highly sensitive data.

Under Hong Kong’s Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (PDPO), this role as a custodian comes with profound legal responsibilities. As of 2025, with digital transformation sweeping the education sector, relying on paper files, unsecured spreadsheets, and generic collection tools is no longer a safe or compliant option.

Here are five core strategies for educational institutions to collect and manage data safely, in line with the PDPO.

1. Master the Art of Parental Consent (DPP1)

For any data collected from students under the age of 18, the PDPO places a heavy emphasis on obtaining clear and verifiable consent from a parent or legal guardian. A simple signature on a paper form, filed away in a cabinet, is difficult to track, manage, and prove to regulators.

• The Challenge: How do you efficiently manage and document consent for thousands of students for various activities, from photo usage to third-party e-learning platform access?

• The Solution: Implement a system for digital, auditable consent. A platform like Walla allows you to create secure digital consent forms that parents can review and approve. This creates a centralized, time-stamped record, providing a clear audit trail that demonstrates your lawful basis for collecting and processing student data.

2. Build a Centralized and Secure "Digital Vault" (DPP4)

Student data is often fragmented across a school: academic records are in a Student Information System (SIS), health data is in the nurse’s office, and parental contact details are in a separate administrative file. This creates multiple points of weakness and is a security nightmare.

• The Challenge: How do you protect scattered data from unauthorized access, accidental loss, or theft?

• The Solution: The only truly safe approach is a centralized and encrypted repository. Walla provides this single, secure vault for all student-related data. By bringing everything into one environment protected by end-to-end encryption, you eliminate vulnerable data silos and create a single, manageable source of truth.

3. Implement "Need-to-Know" Access Controls (DPP4)

Data Protection Principle 4 (DPP4) requires you to protect data from unauthorized access—and that includes internal access. A teacher needs to see their students' grades but should not have access to their parents' financial aid applications.

• The Challenge: How do you ensure staff members can only access the specific data required for their jobs?

• The Solution: An enterprise-grade platform enables the "principle of least privilege" with Role-Based Access Controls (RBAC). Walla allows you to configure specific permissions for every user, from the school principal to an administrative clerk. This is a critical technical measure for preventing internal data breaches and ensuring confidentiality.

4. Manage the Full Student Data Lifecycle (DPP2)

The PDPO’s retention principle (DPP2) forbids keeping data longer than necessary. This is complex in education. Academic transcripts may need to be kept for decades, while a permission slip for a past field trip should be deleted.

• The Challenge: How do you manage these different retention periods for thousands of students without it becoming a manual, error-prone nightmare?

• The Solution: Automation is the only scalable solution. Walla enables you to set automated data retention and archival policies. Permanent records can be securely archived for long-term access, while temporary data is automatically and securely deleted according to your predefined rules, ensuring compliance with DPP2.

5. Ensure Secure Third-Party Data Sharing

Schools and universities must share data with numerous third parties, including the Education Bureau (EDB), the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA), and various software vendors. Under the PDPO, your institution remains accountable for the security of that data.

• The Challenge: How do you share data with external partners without losing control or creating security risks?

• The Solution: A secure platform provides control and auditability over data sharing. With Walla, you can securely export specific, minimized datasets required by third parties and log every action in a comprehensive audit trail. This helps you manage your contractual obligations and ensure your partners are handling student data with the same level of care.

Conclusion

Protecting student data is a fundamental duty of care for every educational institution in Hong Kong. The PDPO has made this an undeniable legal requirement. By moving beyond outdated, fragmented systems and embracing a platform designed for the unique challenges of the education sector, you can safeguard not only your students' data but also your institution's invaluable reputation.