Privacy Policy

1. Overview

This Privacy Policy explains how SmartSchool360, operated by MJG Technologies, collects, uses, stores, protects and manages personal information when schools, administrators, teachers, parents, guardians, students and other authorised users access or use the SmartSchool360 platform.

SmartSchool360 is a school management system that supports functions such as student administration, admissions, attendance, examinations, report cards, finance, communication, online learning, dashboards, user management and school reporting.

We recognise that school information is highly sensitive. This includes student records, parent or guardian contact details, teacher information, attendance records, academic results and financial information. We are committed to handling such information responsibly, securely and transparently.

2. Scope of This Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to:

• Visitors to the SmartSchool360 website;
• Schools requesting demos, trials or platform access;
• School administrators using SmartSchool360;
• Teachers, school heads, deputy heads and staff users;
• Parents, guardians and authorised family representatives;
• Students accessing student-facing services;
• Users who submit enquiries, trial requests, support requests or contact forms.

This policy applies to information processed through the SmartSchool360 platform, website, demo environment, trial environment, support channels and related services.

3. Information We Collect

3.1 School Information

• School name, campus name and school profile information;
• School contact details, address and administrative contacts;
• Subscription, trial, onboarding and configuration information;
• School branding, logos and system preferences.

3.2 Student Information

• Student names, admission numbers, class, stream, campus and enrolment details;
• Student demographic and academic records;
• Attendance records, disciplinary records where enabled, and learning progress information;
• Exam marks, subject performance, report cards and teacher comments;
• Student photographs where uploaded by the school.

3.3 Parent and Guardian Information

• Parent or guardian names and contact details;
• Relationship to student;
• Login details and access credentials;
• Communication preferences and school communication history;
• Fee statement and payment-related records made available by the school.

3.4 Teacher and Staff Information

• Teacher and staff names, contact details and assigned roles;
• Subject allocations, class allocations and timetable information;
• Login details, access logs and activity records;
• Teacher comments, assessment inputs and learning material uploads.

3.5 Technical and Usage Information

• IP address, browser type, device type and operating system;
• Login timestamps, page access records and activity logs;
• Security events, failed login attempts and session information;
• Website analytics, demo requests and interaction events.

3.6 Payment and Finance Information

Where finance modules are used, SmartSchool360 may process school fee balances, invoices, receipts, fee statements and payment records entered by the school. SmartSchool360 does not intentionally collect full card numbers or banking passwords. Any payment gateway integration should be governed by the payment provider’s own privacy and security terms.

4. How We Use Information

We use collected information for the following purposes:

• To provide and operate the SmartSchool360 platform;
• To create and manage school, teacher, parent, student and administrator accounts;
• To enable attendance, marks entry, report cards, timetables and school communication;
• To support school finance, fee statements and payment records;
• To provide technical support, troubleshooting and platform maintenance;
• To improve platform performance, usability and security;
• To detect unauthorised access, abuse, fraud or security threats;
• To send system notifications, service updates and administrative communication;
• To comply with legal, regulatory, contractual and audit obligations.

5. School Ownership of Data

Schools remain the primary owners and controllers of the information they upload, enter or manage in SmartSchool360. SmartSchool360 acts as a technology platform and service provider that processes school data for the purpose of delivering the agreed school management services.

Unless otherwise agreed in writing, SmartSchool360 does not sell school data, student data, parent data or teacher data to third parties. School data is used only to provide, support, secure and improve the platform.

Schools are responsible for ensuring that the information they upload or enter into the platform is accurate, lawful and collected with the necessary authority, consent or institutional basis.

6. Student and Children’s Privacy

SmartSchool360 may process information relating to children and students because the platform is designed for educational institutions. We treat student information as sensitive and apply additional care when processing it.

Student information is processed only for legitimate school-related purposes, including enrolment, academic administration, attendance tracking, report generation, parent communication and learner support.

Parents, guardians and students should contact their school directly for questions about student records, corrections, report cards, attendance information or account access, unless the enquiry relates specifically to SmartSchool360 technical support.

7. Legal Basis for Processing

Depending on the context, SmartSchool360 may process personal information based on one or more of the following:

• Performance of a contract with a school or authorised customer;
• Legitimate educational, administrative or operational interests of the school;
• Consent where required for specific features or communications;
• Compliance with legal, regulatory or reporting obligations;
• Protection of platform security, user accounts and school records.

8. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell personal information. We may share information only where necessary and appropriate, including:

• With authorised school users according to their assigned role and permissions;
• With parents, guardians or students where the school has enabled such access;
• With hosting, infrastructure, email, analytics or support providers used to operate the platform;
• With legal, regulatory or law enforcement authorities where required by law;
• With professional advisers where necessary for compliance, legal or audit purposes;
• During a business transfer, merger or restructuring, subject to confidentiality and data protection safeguards.

Third-party service providers are expected to handle data securely and only for the services they provide to us.

9. Data Security Measures

SmartSchool360 uses technical, administrative and organisational safeguards designed to protect personal information against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.

Security controls may include:

• HTTPS/SSL encryption for secure website access;
• Role-based access control for different user types;
• Password hashing and secure authentication practices;
• Session security controls and inactivity timeout protection;
• Access logging and audit trails;
• Database access restrictions;
• Secure hosting environment configuration;
• Backups and disaster recovery practices;
• Security monitoring and periodic review of platform activity.

No online system can guarantee absolute security. Users must also protect their login credentials, use strong passwords and avoid sharing accounts.

10. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to provide the platform, meet contractual obligations, support school operations, comply with legal requirements, resolve disputes and maintain security records.

Schools may request data export, correction or deletion subject to contractual, legal, operational and backup limitations. Backup copies may remain for a limited period before being securely overwritten or deleted according to backup retention cycles.

11. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

SmartSchool360 may use cookies, sessions and similar technologies to operate the website and platform.

These may be used to:

• Keep users securely logged in;
• Maintain session state and user preferences;
• Protect against unauthorised access and abuse;
• Measure website performance and feature usage;
• Understand demo, contact and trial request interactions.

Users can control cookies through browser settings. However, disabling certain cookies may affect login, security and platform functionality.

12. Privacy Rights

Subject to applicable law, data subjects may have rights relating to their personal information, including:

• The right to be informed about how information is used;
• The right to access personal information;
• The right to request correction of inaccurate information;
• The right to request deletion where legally appropriate;
• The right to object to certain processing activities;
• The right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
• The right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority.

For school-managed records, requests should normally be directed to the relevant school first because the school controls the accuracy, purpose and authorised use of student, parent and staff records.

13. Data Breach Response

If we become aware of a security incident involving personal information, we will take reasonable steps to investigate, contain and remediate the incident.

Where required, we will notify affected schools, users or regulatory authorities in accordance with applicable law, contractual obligations and the nature of the incident.

14. Third-Party Services and Integrations

SmartSchool360 may integrate with or rely on third-party services such as hosting providers, email delivery services, analytics tools, payment gateways, communication tools or cloud infrastructure providers.

These third parties may process limited information necessary to provide their services. Their own privacy policies and security terms may also apply.

15. International Data Transfers

Depending on hosting, infrastructure or third-party services used, personal information may be stored or processed outside Botswana. Where this occurs, we aim to use service providers and safeguards that support appropriate protection of personal information.

Schools with specific data residency requirements should raise these requirements before subscribing to or deploying SmartSchool360.

16. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, platform features, business operations or security practices.

When we make material changes, we may update the “Last Updated” date and, where appropriate, notify schools or users through the platform, email or website notice.

17. Contact Information