Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

SmartSchoolHub ("we", "our", or "us") operates the school management software platform available at smartschoolhub.com and associated portals, APIs, and mobile interfaces. This Privacy Policy details our practices concerning the collection, storage, processing, and safeguarding of information when educational institutions, administrators, teachers, parents, and students use our platform.

2. Data Roles: Controller vs. Processor

Under the Zambia Data Protection Act No. 3 of 2021 and relevant educational regulatory guidelines:

• The School (Data Controller): The subscriber school or educational institution determines the purposes and means of processing personal data relating to its students, guardians, and employees.
• SmartSchoolHub (Data Processor): We process personal data solely on behalf of, and in accordance with instructions provided by, the subscriber school.

3. Information We Collect and Process

A. School & Administrative Data

During registration and subscription, we collect school identity data, registered physical address, official email, phone numbers, contact administrator details, billing credentials, and school branding assets.

B. Student Records

When populated by authorized school personnel, the platform securely stores student names, admission numbers, gender, date of birth, grade/class placement, academic assessments, report cards, Zambian national examination records, and attendance records.

C. Guardian & Parent Contact Data

Parent/guardian names, phone numbers, email addresses, emergency contacts, billing records, and automated fee payment transaction identifiers.

D. Biometric & Facial Attendance Data (Optional)

For schools utilizing our optional AI facial attendance or biometric kiosk module, facial descriptor embeddings (mathematical vectors) are securely generated to record clock-in/clock-out events. Raw biometric vector data is encrypted and used solely for identity verification during roll-call.

E. System Usage & Technical Data

IP addresses, browser type, device information, operating system, and timestamped audit logs are recorded to safeguard platform integrity, detect unauthorized access, and fulfill security compliance requirements.

4. How We Use Collected Information

Data stored in SmartSchoolHub is processed strictly for legitimate educational and administrative purposes, including:

• Delivering student information management, cumulative grading, and report card generation.
• Processing school fee invoicing, payment receipts, and automated mobile money reconciliation (Airtel, MTN, Zamtel).
• Enabling real-time communication between teachers, school administrators, and parents via SMS, WhatsApp notifications, and web portals.
• Maintaining audit logs, system security, bug resolution, and uptime guarantees.
• Complying with statutory reporting requirements established by the Ministry of Education in Zambia.

5. Data Confidentiality & Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or monetize school, student, or guardian personal data to any third party or advertiser. Information is shared only with verified service providers essential to service delivery:

• Cloud Infrastructure Providers: High-security ISO-27001 certified cloud servers with automated encrypted daily backups.
• Telecom & SMS Gateways: Authorized telecom partners for dispatching report cards, attendance alerts, and emergency notifications.
• Payment Service Providers: Licensed payment gateways for processing tuition and examination fees.
• Legal & Law Enforcement: Disclosures strictly mandated under applicable Zambian court orders or statutory subpoenas.

6. Data Security & Storage

We implement multi-layered technical, physical, and administrative security measures:

• All data in transit is encrypted using modern TLS 1.3/HTTPS encryption.
• Passwords are stored using industry-standard salted bcrypt hashing algorithms.
• Automated role-based access control (RBAC) ensures teachers and staff access only authorized modules.
• Daily automated encrypted off-site database backups with disaster recovery failover.

7. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our platform utilizes session cookies to keep users authenticated and remember UI preferences. We may also use Google Analytics on our public informational pages to monitor anonymous aggregated web traffic. Users can manage or decline non-essential cookies via our on-screen Cookie Consent banner at any time.

8. Data Subject Rights

Under the Zambian Data Protection Act, individuals have rights regarding their personal data, including the right to:

• Request access to their personal records held by the school.
• Request rectification of inaccurate, outdated, or incomplete records.
• Request erasure of records, subject to statutory school record retention periods prescribed by the Ministry of Education.
• Object to unlawful processing or lodge a complaint with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner of Zambia.

Because the subscribing school is the Data Controller, parents and students should submit data access requests directly to their respective school administration.

9. Contact Us

If you have any questions regarding this Privacy Policy or our data protection practices, please contact us at:

SmartSchoolHub Data Protection Team
Email: [email protected]
Website: smartschoolhub.com
Lusaka, Republic of Zambia