A Polish school is offering a 3,500 zł discount on tuition in exchange for the right to publish students’ images, raising privacy concerns.
Controversial Tuition Model
A private elementary school has offered parents a 3,500 zł annual tuition discount in exchange for consent to publish their child’s image. While schools seek promotional methods, the Ministry of National Education and Kids Alert warn that trading minors’ images online risks cyberbullying, hate speech, and data breaches.
Financial Details Revealed
The website niebezpiecznik.pl published a price list from a private elementary school for the 2025/26 school year. Standard tuition is 35,000 zł annually, but parents consenting to image publication receive a 10% discount, reducing the fee to 31,500 zł. This structure questions the voluntary nature of consent under GDPR, suggesting privacy protection is a luxury.
Ministry of Education Statement
The Ministry of National Education (MEN) issued a statement to PAP regarding the use of student images online. The ministry emphasizes the real risks of publishing children’s images, including potential misuse and exposure to cyberbullying. While regulations protect image rights, school directors are responsible for ensuring fully informed and pressure-free parental consent.
Kids Alert Calls for a Ban
Kids Alert is demanding a complete ban on publishing children’s images in open information channels by educational institutions. The organization points to increasing abuse, where children are used in marketing that violates their dignity. Kinga Szostko of Kids Alert reports receiving reports of photos from intimate hygiene classes or overly stylized photoshoots being published without anonymization, posing extreme danger.
Commercialization of Children’s Privacy
This “image trading” for discounts reflects a broader trend of commercializing the privacy of young people. Kids Alert notes that schools often pressure parents—denying consent can lead to exclusion from group activities, constituting discrimination. The organization asserts that safety and privacy should not be transactional, especially in institutions meant to protect children. The Ministry of Education has announced steps to curb these practices, including reminding schools of safe image management guidelines during upcoming meetings with education curators.
