1. Introduction
This policy explains what personal information Polymath Science collects, why we collect it, who we share it with and what you can do about it. It applies to everyone who uses the platform, including students, their parents or guardians, and tutors.
We handle personal information in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA). For the purposes of that Act, Polymath Science is the responsible party for the information described here.
You can reach us about anything in this policy at info@polymathscience.co.za.
2. What we collect
Account details
Your email address and a password. Passwords are handled by our authentication provider and are stored in hashed form. We never see your password in readable form.
Your profile
- First and last name
- Phone number
- School and province
- Grade and curriculum, for example NSC, IEB or Cambridge
Learning information
- The subjects you take and the sessions you want each week
- Whether you prefer group or one-on-one sessions
- The days and times you are available, and the sessions you are booked into
- Work you upload for marking, along with the feedback and marks a tutor records
- Quiz and practice attempts, and which resources you open
- Notifications we send you in the platform
Billing information
Invoices we issue, the payment reference linked to them, and any proof of payment reference you give us. Payments are made by transfer to our bank account. We do not collect or store card numbers on the platform.
Technical information
Basic information your browser sends when you use the platform, such as device and browser type and general log data, which we use to keep the service working and secure.
A parent's number you type is not sent to us
During onboarding you can enter a parent or guardian's number so a quote or payment message can be shared over WhatsApp from your own phone. That number is used on your device to address the message. It is not sent to or stored on our servers.
3. Why we use your information
- To create and run your account, and to sign you in.
- To match you with tutors, subjects and session times that fit your grade, curriculum and availability.
- To mark the work you submit and give you feedback.
- To work out pricing, issue invoices and confirm payments.
- To send you service messages such as session reminders, booking changes and invoice notices.
- To keep the platform secure, investigate misuse and resolve disputes.
- To understand which topics students struggle with, so we can improve our teaching and resources. We use grouped, anonymised information for this.
Under POPIA we rely on your consent, on the need to carry out the agreement between us, and on our legitimate interest in running and protecting the service. Where the law requires us to keep records, for example financial records, we rely on that obligation.
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use your work or your results for advertising.
4. Students under 18
Most of our students are between 15 and 18. POPIA treats anyone under 18 as a child, and personal information about a child may only be processed with the consent of a parent or legal guardian.
Parents and guardians
If the student is under 18, a parent or guardian must agree to this policy and to our Terms of Service before the student uses the platform. By signing up, the student confirms this consent has been given.
A parent or guardian may ask to see what we hold about their child, ask us to correct it, or withdraw consent and ask us to delete it. Write to info@polymathscience.co.za and we will verify the request before acting on it.
Withdrawing consent means we can no longer provide tutoring to that student, since we cannot run the service without the information described above.
6. Where your information is stored
The providers we use operate data centres in several countries, so your information may be stored or processed outside South Africa.
Section 72 of POPIA allows this where the receiving country or the provider offers a comparable level of protection. We choose providers that commit contractually to that standard.
7. How long we keep it
- Account and profile information: while your account is open, and for a reasonable period afterwards in case you return.
- Submitted work, marks and feedback: for the duration of your studies with us, so you and your tutor can track progress.
- Invoices and payment records: for the period South African tax and financial law requires, which is generally five years.
- Technical logs: for a short period, for security and troubleshooting.
When we no longer need information, we delete it or remove the details that identify you.
8. How we protect it
We take reasonable technical and organisational steps to protect your information. Traffic to the platform is encrypted, passwords are hashed by our authentication provider, and access to student data is limited to the tutors and staff who need it.
No online service is completely secure. Keep your password private and tell us at info@polymathscience.co.za if you think your account has been accessed by someone else. If a breach puts your information at real risk, we will notify you and the Information Regulator as POPIA requires.
9. Your rights
Under POPIA you have the right to:
- Ask what personal information we hold about you and get a copy of it.
- Ask us to correct information that is wrong or incomplete.
- Ask us to delete information we no longer have a reason to keep.
- Object to certain uses of your information.
- Withdraw consent you gave us, without affecting what we did before you withdrew it.
- Complain to the Information Regulator.
To use any of these rights, write to info@polymathscience.co.za. We may need to confirm who you are before we act, so that we do not hand your information to someone else.
If you are not satisfied with how we respond, you can complain to the Information Regulator of South Africa. Their contact details are on inforegulator.org.za.
10. Cookies and storage on your device
We keep the platform light on tracking. We do not use advertising cookies, we do not track you across other websites, and we do not sell data to advertisers.
When you sign in, our server sets a session cookie so that you stay signed in as you move between pages. It is marked httpOnly, which means scripts running in your browser cannot read it. We use it only to recognise your session.
Signing out clears the cookie, and so does clearing your browser data. Our sign-in provider may set further cookies or local storage entries that are strictly necessary for authentication and security.
11. Changes to this policy
We update this policy when the platform or the law changes. The date at the top of this page shows when we last did so.
If a change materially affects how we use your information, we will tell you before it takes effect and, where the law requires it, ask for your consent again.
12. Contact us
For any question about this policy, about the information we hold, or to exercise a right described above, contact us at info@polymathscience.co.za.
Our Terms of Service cover the rest of your relationship with us.