Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 2025

Welcome to St. Mathews Academy and Junior College! This Privacy Policy describes how St. Mathews Academy and Junior College ("we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, processes, discloses, and protects your personal data when you use our website, https://www.stmathewsacademy.edu.in (the "Website"), and our mobile application, SMA SchoolBook (the "App").

We are committed to protecting the privacy of our users, particularly parents, guardians, and students within India. By accessing or using our Website or App, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy and consent to the collection, use, processing, and disclosure of your personal data as described herein. This Privacy Policy is incorporated into and subject to our Terms of Use.

1. Information We Collect

We collect various types of information to provide and improve our services, administer the school, and communicate effectively with our community.

a. Information You Provide to Us Directly: This includes information you provide when you register for an account, enroll a student, communicate with us, or use certain features of the Website or App. This may include:

Contact Information: Name, email address, phone number, mailing address.
Account Information: Username, password.
Parent/Guardian Information: Names, occupations, relationship to student, contact details, emergency contacts.
Student Information: Name, date of birth, gender, class/grade, admission number, roll number, attendance records, academic performance (grades, results), co-curricular activities, photographs/videos for school purposes, medical information (e.g., allergies, if provided for safety).
Communication Content: Messages, feedback, inquiries, or other information you provide when you interact with our support or other school staff.
Payment Information: Details required for processing payments (e.g., fees), which may be handled directly by secure third-party payment gateways (we do not store your full payment card details).
Government-Mandated Identification & Documents: This may include, but is not limited to, Aadhaar numbers, Passport details, Permanent Account Numbers (PAN), and School Transfer Certificates. This information is collected when legally required for student enrollment, verification, or reporting to government and educational authorities.

b. Information Collected Automatically: When you access or use our Website or App, we may automatically collect certain information about your device and usage patterns. This information helps us understand user behavior, improve our services, and ensure security. This may include:

Device Information: Device type, operating system, unique device identifiers, mobile network information.
Log Data: IP address, browser type, pages viewed, time spent on pages or within the App, referring/exit pages, date/time stamps, and clickstream data.
Usage Data: Features used within the App/Website, frequency of use, interactions with content, errors encountered.
Cookies and Similar Technologies: We use "cookies" and similar technologies (e.g., web beacons, pixel tags) to analyze web page flow, measure promotional effectiveness, enhance user experience, and for security purposes. Cookies are small data files stored on your device. They do not typically contain personally identifiable information. You can configure your browser to refuse cookies, but some features of our Website or App may not function correctly as a result.

c. Information from Third Parties: We may receive information about you from third-party service providers (e.g., payment gateways after a successful transaction) or educational platforms integrated with our systems, provided they have the right to share such information with us and it's relevant to our services.

2. How We Use Your Information (Purpose of Processing)

We use the information we collect for various purposes essential to providing our services and fulfilling our educational mission. Our primary goal is to provide a safe, efficient, smooth, and customized experience. This includes:

School Administration & Management: To manage student admissions, attendance, academic records, scheduling, and communication within the school. This also includes using government-mandated documents for student enrollment, identity verification, and maintaining official school records as required by regulatory bodies.
App & Website Functionality: To operate, maintain, and provide the features and functionality of the Website and App (e.g., allowing parents to view student progress, receive announcements, submit forms).
Communication: To send you important notices, updates, announcements, newsletters, and other relevant information regarding your child's education or school activities via email, in-app notifications, or SMS.
Personalization: To customize your experience on the Website and App, providing content and features that are most relevant to your needs and interests.
Improving Our Services: For internal research, analytics, and product development to understand user demographics, interests, and behavior to enhance our offerings and user experience.
Security & Fraud Prevention: To detect, prevent, and address errors, fraud, and other potentially illegal or prohibited activities, and to protect the security and integrity of our Website, App, and user data.
Legal & Regulatory Compliance: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, legal processes, and enforceable governmental requests, including those under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and specific educational regulations that require the collection and reporting of certain identity documents (e.g., Aadhaar, PAN) for student enrollment, registration, and official reporting to government and educational authorities.
Troubleshooting & Support: To resolve disputes, provide customer support, and troubleshoot problems.
Marketing (with consent): To inform you about other offers, products, or services that may be of interest to you, where you have provided explicit consent for such communications.

3. Legal Basis for Processing (Under DPDPA 2023)

We process your personal data based on the following legal grounds as per the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023:

Consent: Where you have given your explicit, free, specific, informed, and unambiguous consent for the processing of your personal data for one or more specific purposes. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time, subject to certain conditions (as outlined in Section 9).
Legitimate Interests: Where the processing is necessary for our legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of a third party, provided these interests do not override your fundamental rights and freedoms. This includes interests in providing and improving our educational services, ensuring security, and preventing fraud.
Legal Obligation: Where the processing of your personal data, including sensitive government-mandated identification documents (such as Aadhaar, Passport, PAN), is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which we are subject (e.g., requirements by educational boards, government regulations for student enrollment, identity verification, and official reporting).
Performance of Contract: Where the processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are a party or to take steps at your request prior to entering into such a contract (e.g., processing enrollment information).

4. How We Share Your Information

We may disclose your personal information to third parties in the following circumstances:

Within the School System: To relevant school staff, teachers, and administrators who require access to the information to perform their duties related to student education and school operations.
With Service Providers: We may share your information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our Website and App, conducting our business, or serving our users (e.g., hosting providers, IT support, payment processors, analytics providers, educational software providers, communication platforms). These third parties are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them.
Corporate Affiliates: We may share personal information with our corporate entities and affiliates to help detect and prevent identity theft, fraud, and other potentially illegal acts, and to facilitate joint or co-branded services that you request. These entities may not market to you as a result of such sharing unless you explicitly consent to it.
Legal Requirements & Law Enforcement: We may disclose your personal information, including government-mandated identification documents, if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such disclosure is reasonably necessary to respond to subpoenas, court orders, or other legal processes, or to specific government and educational authorities to comply with regulatory requirements (e.g., for student registration, reporting, or verification purposes) or to law enforcement offices, third-party rights owners, or others to enforce our Terms of Use or Privacy Policy; respond to claims that an advertisement posting or other content violates the rights of a third party; or protect the rights, property, or personal safety of our users or the general public.
Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will ensure that the acquiring entity is bound by a privacy policy that adheres to similar standards of protection for your personal information.
With Your Consent: We may share your information with other third parties when you provide us with your explicit consent to do so.

5. Children's Privacy (Users Under 18 Years of Age)

Our services are designed for a school environment, and we understand the importance of protecting the privacy of children. In India, individuals under 18 years of age are considered "children" under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.

Parental/Guardian Consent: We do not knowingly collect personal data from children without verifiable consent from their parent or legal guardian. If we discover that we have collected personal data from a child without such consent, we will take reasonable steps to delete that information promptly.
Limited Data Collection: We collect only the personal data from children that is reasonably necessary for their educational purposes and for the functionality of the Website and App as part of their school experience.
No Targeted Advertising: We do not permit third-party behavioral advertising or personalized advertising to children through our Website or App.
Parental Rights: Parents and legal guardians have the right to:
- Review the personal data collected from their child.
- Request the deletion of their child's personal data.
- Refuse further collection or use of their child's data.
- If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal data without your consent, please contact us immediately at admin@stmathewsacademy.edu.in.

6. Data Security

We are committed to protecting your personal data. We implement stringent technical, administrative, and physical security measures designed to protect against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction of your personal information under our control. These measures include:

Using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption for data transmission.
Implementing firewalls and intrusion detection systems.
Maintaining internal procedures that require our employees and data processors to respect the confidentiality of personal information.
Regularly reviewing and updating our security practices.

While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal data, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. We will not be responsible for any event arising from unauthorized access to users' personal information due to factors beyond our reasonable control. If you become aware of any security breach, please notify us immediately.

7. International Data Transfers

As part of our operations, we may use overseas facilities to process or back up your personal information. As a result, your personal information may be transferred to and stored at our overseas facilities or with third-party service providers located outside of India.

When we transfer your data internationally, we take appropriate steps to ensure that your personal information receives an adequate level of protection consistent with this Privacy Policy and applicable laws, including implementing standard contractual clauses or relying on other lawful transfer mechanisms.

8. Your Rights (Rights of Data Principals under DPDPA 2023)

As a data principal under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, you have certain rights concerning your personal data. To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at admin@stmathewsacademy.edu.in. We will respond to your request in accordance with applicable law.

Right to Information/Access: You have the right to obtain confirmation from us as to whether or not your personal data is being processed, and if so, to access that personal data and receive information about its processing.
Right to Correction/Rectification: You have the right to request the correction or completion of inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.
Right to Erasure/Deletion (Right to be Forgotten): Subject to certain conditions (e.g., data no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, withdrawal of consent), you have the right to request the deletion of your personal data.
Right to Grievance Redressal: You have the right to register a grievance with us regarding your personal data. We are committed to addressing your concerns promptly and effectively.

9. Choice/Opt-Out

You may have the opportunity to opt-out of receiving non-essential (promotional, marketing-related) communications from us or on behalf of our partners. You can usually do this by following the unsubscribe instructions provided in the communication or by adjusting your notification settings within the App or Website account settings. Please note that even if you opt-out of marketing communications, we may still send you essential service-related communications.

10. Links to Other Websites/Apps

Our Website and App may contain links to other websites or applications that are not operated by us. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of these linked websites or applications. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites or apps you visit.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Effective Date" at the top. We may also notify you through other means, such as email or prominent notice within the App/Website, prior to the change becoming effective. Your continued use of our Website or App after any changes signifies your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

12. Contact Us

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

St. Mathews Academy and Junior College
Address: St. Mathews Academy and Junior College, Urli, Uruli Devachi, Pune, Maharashtra 412308
Email: admin@stmathewsacademy.edu.in
Phone: +91 8888817609