Privacy Policy

1. Responsible Party

Teach Academy is operated by Sterling Education Group. For all privacy-related queries, corrections, or complaints, please contact us at info@teachacademy.co.zw.

2. Scope of This Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to all users of the Teach Academy platform, including students, parents, tutors, and visitors. It covers all personal information collected through our website, platform, and related services.

By registering for an account or using our services, you confirm that you have read and understood this policy.

3. Information We Collect

We collect the following categories of personal information:

3.1 Account and Profile Information

• Full name, email address, and password
• Role on the platform (student, parent, or tutor)
• Grade level or year of study
• Date of birth (where required for age-based access controls)
• Parent or guardian details where a learner is under 18

3.2 Tutor Application Information

• Identity document or passport number and copy
• Qualification certificates and academic credentials
• Technical equipment details (webcam, headset, internet speed)
• A one-minute introductory video
• Bank account details for payout processing

3.3 Session and Learning Data

• Worksheet submissions, answers, and results
• Lesson booking details, including lesson focus notes and uploaded materials
• Session attendance and completion records
• Ratings and feedback submitted after lessons

3.4 Payment Information

• Payment status and transaction references
• We do not store card numbers, banking credentials, or payment details on our servers. All payment processing is handled by Paynow, a PCI-compliant payment gateway.

3.5 Technical Information

• IP address and browser type
• Device information
• Usage logs and session activity on the platform
• Where you use our Android app and enable notifications, a device push token used to deliver notifications about your child's study activity

4. How We Use Your Information

We use personal information only for the purposes for which it was collected:

• To create and manage your account
• To deliver self-study worksheets and track your progress
• To facilitate lesson bookings, payments, and live sessions
• To verify tutor qualifications and process tutor payouts
• To enforce platform rules including age-appropriate booking windows
• To review quality assurance recordings where applicable
• To communicate with you about your account, bookings, and platform updates
• To comply with our legal obligations under the CDPA and other applicable laws

We do not use your personal information for unsolicited marketing without your consent, and we do not sell your personal information to any third party.

5. Lesson Recording and Quality Assurance

5.1 Which Sessions Are Recorded

Teach Academy records a student's first completed live lesson only. This recording is used exclusively for internal quality assurance purposes to ensure that tutors meet our standards and that students receive a high-quality experience.

5.2 Consent

You will be asked to confirm your consent to this recording at the time of account registration and again at lesson checkout. No first lesson will proceed without this acknowledgement.

5.3 Storage and Access

Recordings are stored on secure servers and are not publicly accessible. Access is restricted to the student or parent account, the tutor, and authorised Teach Academy administrators. Recordings are not shared with any third party.

5.4 Retention and Deletion

All lesson recordings are automatically deleted within 7 days of the session. Where a dispute has been raised within the 72-hour dispute window, the recording will be retained until that dispute is fully resolved, after which it will be deleted. Teach Academy does not retain lesson recordings beyond these periods.

5.5 Tutor Obligations

Tutors are strictly prohibited from retaining, distributing, or using any recording of a lesson for any purpose outside of their own quality review during the permitted window. Tutors must permanently delete any local copy of a recording from their personal devices or cloud storage as required by our Terms of Service. Violation of this obligation constitutes a breach of the CDPA and may result in immediate account suspension and legal action.

6. Tutor Verification Documents

Identity documents and qualification certificates uploaded during tutor onboarding are used solely to verify the tutor's identity and credentials. These documents are reviewed by authorised Teach Academy administrators only.

In line with the CDPA's principle of minimum retention, all identity and qualification documents are permanently deleted from our systems within 7 days of the application date, regardless of the outcome of the application.

7. Children and Minor Learners

Teach Academy serves learners from primary school level. Where a learner is under the age of 18, a parent or legal guardian must create or oversee the account. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors without verifiable parental consent.

Parents may contact us at info@teachacademy.co.zw at any time to request access to, correction of, or deletion of their child's personal information.

8. Sharing of Personal Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We share information only in the following limited circumstances:

• Paynow: Payment transaction data is processed by Paynow in accordance with their own privacy policy and PCI DSS standards.
• Secure infrastructure providers: We use trusted, industry-standard third-party providers for hosting, video conferencing, and data storage. These providers are contractually required to handle your data securely.
• Firebase Cloud Messaging (Google): If you use our Android app and enable notifications, your device's push token is shared with Google's Firebase Cloud Messaging service solely to deliver those notifications to your device.
• Legal obligation: We may disclose personal information if required to do so by law, court order, or regulatory authority.

All third-party service providers are required to handle your information securely and may not use it for their own purposes.

9. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, loss, destruction, or alteration. These measures include:

• Encrypted data transmission via HTTPS
• Row-level security controls on our database
• Role-based access restrictions so users only access their own data
• Secure, access-controlled storage for uploaded files and recordings

While we take all reasonable precautions, no system is completely secure. In the event of a data breach that poses a risk to your rights, we will notify you and the Data Protection Authority as required by the CDPA.

10. Your Rights Under the CDPA

As a data subject under the CDPA, you have the right to:

• Be informed about what personal information we hold about you
• Request access to your personal information
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Request deletion of your personal information, subject to legal and contractual obligations
• Object to the processing of your personal information
• Lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Authority (POTRAZ)

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@teachacademy.co.zw. We will respond within a reasonable time and in accordance with CDPA requirements.

11. Data Protection Authority

If you are not satisfied with how we have handled your personal information, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Authority of Zimbabwe:

12. Retention of Personal Information

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law. Specific retention rules include:

• Tutor identity and qualification documents: deleted within 7 days of application date
• Lesson recordings: deleted within 7 days of session, or upon resolution of any active dispute
• Account and transaction records: retained for the duration of the account and for a reasonable period thereafter for legal and financial compliance purposes
• Dispute and audit logs: retained for as long as required for legal compliance and platform integrity

13. Cookies and Tracking

Teach Academy uses essential cookies and session tokens to keep you logged in and to maintain platform functionality. We do not use third-party advertising trackers or sell browsing data. You may disable cookies in your browser settings, but doing so may affect your ability to use the platform.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our services, or our data practices. Any significant changes will be communicated to registered users by email. The date at the top of this page always reflects the most recent version. Continued use of the platform after changes are published constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

15. Contact Us

For any questions, requests, or concerns relating to this Privacy Policy or your personal information, please contact: