1. Scope
This policy explains how Famnet Services Limited handles personal data in FAMNET Schools (schools.famnet.co.tz), the FAMNET Staff app and related messaging. Schools that use the Service are the owners (controllers) of the data they enter; FAMNET processes it on their behalf and also acts as controller for account, billing and website data.
2. What we collect
| Category | Examples | Source |
|---|---|---|
| School account | School name, registration number, address, admin name, school mobile and email, login header, logo | Registration form |
| Staff | Name, mobile (username), email, position, HR details the school chooses to record | Entered by the school |
| Students | Name, gender, date of birth, class and stream, admission details, photo, marks, evaluation remarks, attendance | Entered by the school |
| Parents | Mobile number (for WhatsApp/SMS and portal contact), payments made | Entered by the school; parent when paying |
| Payments | Amount, phone number used, gateway reference, receipt; no card or PIN data is ever stored | Parent / school, ClickPesa |
| FAMNET Schools app — learners | Name, phone number, password (stored as a one-way hash), form, school name and the class teacher's name and phone (when the school is not on FAMNET), quiz scores and study streaks, questions asked to the Mwalimu tutor (sent to Google's Gemini service to produce the answer, not used by FAMNET for advertising) | The learner, at registration and while learning |
| FAMNET Schools app — families | Sign-in sessions, quiz scores and study streaks, Premium purchase record from Google Play | The app |
| FAMNET Schools app — teachers | The teacher's existing FAMNET staff account (name, mobile number used as username, position, school, class and subject assignments); marks and attendance the teacher enters in the app | The school; the teacher while using the app |
| Parent–teacher messages | Messages a parent and a teacher write to each other in the app, with the pupil, subject and time they belong to. Optional: only stored when someone writes. Visible to the parent and the pupil's current class or subject teacher | Parent and teacher |
| Push notifications | A device token from Google Firebase Cloud Messaging, the app language and platform, so we can notify you of new messages and attendance; removed when you sign out or delete the account | The app |
| Technical | IP address, browser, pages visited, cookies, error logs | Automatic |
3. Why we use it
- To run the Service: results processing, fees, receipts, timetables, reports.
- To send messages the school chooses to send (results, receipts, debts, announcements) by WhatsApp first, SMS as fallback.
- To let parents see their child's results and pay fees.
- To bill the school or collect the parents' contribution, and to prevent fraud.
- To support users, fix errors and improve the Service.
- On public website pages only: analytics and advertising (Google) subject to your cookie choice.
4. Who we share it with
- ClickPesa — mobile money and bank collections (phone number, amount, reference).
- Beem Africa and our WhatsApp relay service — message delivery (phone number, message text).
- Google — Firebase push notifications for the apps; Analytics/AdSense on public pages.
- Hosting and email providers under contract.
- Organisers of joint examinations — only for group (mock) examinations the school has joined, and only the examination data.
- Authorities when the law requires. We never sell personal data.
4a. The FAMNET Schools app
The app shows families the same school records as the web parents area, only after the school's rules allow it (for example after the yearly system contribution). Learners without a school account register with their phone number; when their school is not on FAMNET we record the school name and the class teacher's contact so FAMNET can invite the school. Mwalimu tutor requests are processed by Google (Gemini API) under Google's terms. Payments by mobile money are processed by ClickPesa; Premium is billed by Google Play. Teachers sign in with the account their school created for them; what they can do (enter marks, take attendance, reply to parents) follows the permissions the school sets on FAMNET, and access ends as soon as the school removes it. Parent–teacher messages are kept so both sides can read the conversation; a teacher who no longer teaches the pupil can no longer read it. Notifications are sent through Google Firebase Cloud Messaging. An app account can be deleted at any time in the app (Menu → Settings → Delete my account) or at https://schools.famnet.co.tz/delete-account.
5. Retention
School data is kept while the school account is active and for up to 24 months after it closes (so results and receipts can be reprinted), unless the school asks for earlier deletion. Backups roll over within 90 days. Payment records are kept as required by tax and financial law.
6. Security
Encrypted connections (HTTPS), hashed passwords, role-based access inside each school, daily backups, server access limited to authorised staff, and audit logs of edited payments. No system is perfectly secure; report any suspected problem to [email protected].
7. Your rights
Parents and staff should first contact their school, which controls the data. Any person may ask FAMNET to confirm, correct or delete data about them, or to stop messages, by writing to [email protected] or WhatsApp +255 722 279 412. We answer within 30 days. Tanzania's Personal Data Protection Act, 2022 applies.
8. Children
Student data is entered by schools for educational purposes; students do not create accounts themselves. Parent portal access is issued by the school to the parent or guardian.
9. Changes and contact
Updates are posted here with a new effective date. Contact: Famnet Services Limited, New Bagamoyo Road, Victoria House, 3rd Floor, Dar es Salaam — [email protected].