Privacy Policy - Teacher AID

Welcome to Teacher AID. Developed in association with IIDS Labs, we are committed to protecting the privacy of all our users, including teachers, students, and school administrators. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our web platform and Android mobile application (collectively, the "Service").

We process personal data in compliance with the Constitution of Nepal, the Individual Privacy Act, 2075 (2018), the Act Relating to Children, 2075 (2018), as well as relevant international data protection standards and best practices (such as the GDPR, COPPA, and FERPA where applicable). By accessing or using our Service, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

1. Information We Collect

We collect information to provide, maintain, and improve our Service for schools, teachers, and students.

Account & Profile Information

School Administrators: Name, work email address, school name, and credentials.
Teachers: Name, work email address, school affiliation, and credentials.
Students: Username or student identifier (created by the teacher/school) and progress data. We do not require students to provide personal email addresses or phone numbers.

Classroom & Learning Data

Lesson plans, teacher notes, assignments, student answers, scores, feedback, and notes created within the learning modules.
AI Interaction Prompts: Text prompts, responses, and chat transcripts created during interactive learning sessions with the Teacher Agent or AI features.
Optional audio recordings (e.g. if the user uses voice-to-text or pronunciation practice features), which are processed locally or in transit to provide the service and are not stored permanently unless requested.

Device & Usage Information

Device type, operating system version, crash reports, and anonymized usage metrics. Unique device identifiers are used strictly for service delivery (such as mobile app notifications) and are not linked to student identities.
Local Audio & Speech Processing: Voice inputs for features such as text-to-speech (TTS) or pronunciation assessment are processed locally on the user's device, or transiently in memory, and are never stored or transmitted to external servers unless explicit permission is granted.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected data for various purposes to support the educational environment:

To provide and maintain our Service, including tracking learning progress and grading.
To allow teachers and administrators to manage classes, students, and curriculum.
To improve our Service, diagnose technical issues, and optimize application performance.
To communicate with school administrators and teachers regarding system updates, support, and administrative messages.
To secure our platform and prevent unauthorized access or fraudulent activity.

3. Data Sharing & Security

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

Within the Educational Institution: Student progress, notes, and activity are visible to the student's authorized teachers and school administrators.
With Service Providers: Trusted third-party vendors who perform support services on our behalf (e.g., hosting, database services, and crash monitoring), under strict confidentiality agreements.
With Third-Party AI Services (Google Gemini & Anthropic Claude): We use external AI APIs to power interactive tutoring, hinting, and analysis. When sending prompts to these services:
- We do not share personal identifiers (such as student names, emails, or phone numbers).
- Data is sent through developer/enterprise APIs where Google and Anthropic are contractually bound not to use our submitted data to train their public models.
- Users should avoid typing sensitive personal information (such as family details or addresses) into the free-form text chat fields.
Legal Requirements: If required by law, subpoena, or to protect the safety and integrity of our Service and users.

We use industry-standard physical, electronic, and administrative safeguards to protect your personal information against loss, theft, and unauthorized use or modification.

4. Children's and Minors' Privacy

Teacher AID is designed for educational environments in Nepal and globally.

In accordance with the Act Relating to Children, 2075 (2018) of Nepal, individuals under the age of 18 are considered minors. For student accounts under the age of 18, we require consent to be provided by the school or teacher (acting on behalf of the parent or guardian) or directly by parents/guardians.

For international users, we also maintain compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) (for children under 13) and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information directly without proper institutional consent, please contact us so we can immediately delete the information.

5. Your Choices & Data Rights

Under the Individual Privacy Act, 2075 (2018) of Nepal, as well as international frameworks (such as GDPR), you have specific rights regarding your personal information:

Right to Access: You can request details of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to Correction/Rectification: You can request that inaccurate or incomplete data be corrected.
Right to Erasure (Deletion): You can request the deletion of your personal data when it is no longer necessary for the purpose it was collected.
Teachers & Admins: You may update your account details directly inside the profile settings.
Students & Parents: Requests to review, edit, or delete student information should be directed to the student's teacher or school administrator.
Account Deletion: Schools can request full deletion of school or classroom data at any time by contacting our support team.

6. Updates to This Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date. You are advised to review this policy periodically for any changes.

7. About IIDS & IIDS Labs

The Institute for Integrated Development Studies (IIDS) is a leading, independent, non-partisan, and not-for-profit think-tank headquartered in Kathmandu, Nepal. Established in 1979, IIDS has spent over four decades contributing to evidence-based policymaking, sustainable development, and public advocacy in Nepal and South Asia.

IIDS Labs is the specialized technology, innovation, and digital research arm of IIDS. Through initiatives like Teacher AID, IIDS Labs incubates digital learning solutions, fosters educational technologies, and researches data-driven development tools to support the public and educational landscape of Nepal.

8. Contact Us

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

📧 Email: info@iidslabs.org

🌐 Web: iidslabs.org / iids.org.np