Privacy Policy

Prime Scholars ("we", "us", "our") takes your privacy seriously. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect when you visit our website (primescholars.co.zw) or use our tutoring services, how we use it, who we share it with, and what rights you have over your data.

This policy applies to students, parents, guardians, and anyone who visits our website or enquires about our services.

1. Who We Are

Prime Scholars is a tutoring service based in Harare, Zimbabwe, providing 1-on-1 and group academic support to O Level, IGCSE, AS & A Level, and Specialist subject students. We are the data controller responsible for personal information collected through our website and services.

2. Information We Collect

Information you give us directly

• Contact details: your name, phone number, and email address.
• Student details: the student's name (where different from the contact person), year/form level, subjects of interest, and academic board (Cambridge or ZIMSEC).
• Booking preferences: chosen programme, session frequency, preferred delivery mode (online or home visit), and any notes or special requirements you share.
• Payment information: we do not store card details. Payment confirmation is tracked for billing records only.
• Communication content: WhatsApp messages, emails, and any other correspondence you exchange with us.

Information collected automatically

• Website analytics via Vercel Analytics: page views, pages visited, device type (mobile or desktop), browser, approximate geographic location (country and city level — not precise), referral source, and time on page. This data is collected without cookies and without building individual user profiles. It is aggregated and used to understand site usage patterns.
• Form submission data via StaticForms: when you complete our online booking or enquiry form, the submitted data is processed through StaticForms.xyz and delivered to us by email.
• Tag management via Google Tag Manager: we use GTM to manage analytics and marketing tags on our website. Tags managed through GTM may collect anonymised usage information.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Service delivery: to confirm and manage your booking, match your child with an appropriate tutor, and schedule sessions.
• Communication: to send session reminders, timetable updates, billing notifications, and to respond to your enquiries.
• Billing: to calculate and track monthly fees, apply multi-subject discounts, and maintain payment records.
• Service improvement: to understand how our website is used and identify ways to improve the student experience.
• Safety and compliance: to maintain the security of sessions, particularly for home visits involving students under 18.

We do not use your personal information for unsolicited marketing communications, and we do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to any third party.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data on the following legal bases:

• Contract performance: processing is necessary to deliver the tutoring services you have booked and to manage the billing relationship.
• Legitimate interests: we have a legitimate interest in improving our services, communicating account-related information, and maintaining the safety of our sessions — provided these interests do not override your rights.
• Consent: where you voluntarily share information with us via our contact form, WhatsApp, or email, you consent to us using that information to respond to and manage your request.
• Legal obligation: we may need to retain certain records for tax or legal compliance purposes.

5. Third-Party Services

We use a small number of carefully selected third-party services to operate our platform. Each has its own privacy policy and data protection commitments:

We only share the minimum data necessary with these providers and we do not authorise them to use your data for their own marketing purposes.

6. Data Retention

• Student and booking records: retained for the duration of active enrolment plus 12 months, for billing, reference, and dispute resolution purposes.
• WhatsApp and email correspondence: retained as long as the communication thread is active or the relationship with the client is ongoing.
• Website analytics: Vercel Analytics data is aggregated and non-personally identifiable. It is retained in accordance with Vercel's standard data retention policy.
• Form submissions: StaticForms submissions are delivered to us by email and are then subject to our own email retention practices.

You may request deletion of your personal data at any time (see Your Rights below). We will comply unless we are required to retain the data for legal or billing obligations.

7. Your Rights

You have the following rights with respect to your personal data. To exercise any of these rights, please contact us via WhatsApp or email — we will respond within 30 days.

• Right of access: you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you or your child.
• Right to correction: you may ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Right to deletion ("right to be forgotten"): you may ask us to delete your personal data. We will do so unless we are required to retain it by law or for legitimate billing purposes.
• Right to object: you may object to certain types of processing, including processing based on our legitimate interests.
• Right to data portability: you may request your data in a structured, machine-readable format where technically feasible.
• Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time — this does not affect the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.

8. Children's Privacy

Our Services are specifically designed for students, many of whom are under 18 years of age. We take the protection of children's personal data seriously:

• We collect only the minimum personal information necessary to deliver tutoring services effectively.
• A parent or legal guardian must provide informed consent on behalf of any student under the age of 18 before enrolment.
• All billing, account, and primary communications for students under 18 are directed to the parent or guardian — not the student.
• We do not knowingly market directly to children.
• We do not share children's personal data with third parties except as described in the Third-Party Services section above, and only to the extent necessary to deliver the Services.

If you believe we have inadvertently collected personal information about a child without appropriate parental consent, please contact us immediately and we will take prompt steps to delete that information.

9. Cookies & Analytics

Vercel Analytics (no cookies)

Our primary analytics solution is Vercel Analytics, which is a privacy-first, cookie-free analytics tool. It does not place any tracking cookies on your device, does not use browser fingerprinting to track individuals, and does not build personal user profiles. The data collected (page views, device type, approximate location) is aggregated and used solely to understand how our website is used so we can improve it.

Google Tag Manager

We use Google Tag Manager (GTM) to manage analytics and operational tags on our website. GTM itself does not collect personal data, but tags loaded through GTM may set cookies — primarily for analytics and session management purposes. You can control cookies through your browser settings at any time.

How to manage cookies

You can configure your browser to refuse all cookies or to notify you when a cookie is being set. Please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of certain parts of our website. Common browser cookie settings are available in your browser's help documentation.

10. Data Security

We implement reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, or disclosure. These include:

• HTTPS encryption for all data transmitted to and from our website.
• Limiting access to personal data to those within Prime Scholars who need it to deliver or manage the Services.
• Using reputable, security-vetted third-party service providers.

No method of internet transmission or electronic storage is completely secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security. In the event of a data breach that is likely to affect your rights, we will notify you promptly.

11. International Data Transfers

Prime Scholars is based in Zimbabwe. Some of the third-party services we use (such as Vercel and Google Tag Manager) may process data on servers located outside Zimbabwe, including in the United States and the European Union.

Where data is transferred internationally, we rely on the data protection safeguards of our service providers (which may include standard contractual clauses, adequacy decisions, or their own certified frameworks). We only use providers that maintain appropriate data protection standards.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time as our services evolve or as legal requirements change. When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.
• Notify enrolled clients via WhatsApp or email at least 14 days before the changes take effect, for material changes.

We encourage you to review this page periodically. Your continued use of our Services after any changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us — we're happy to help.