SMIK-Af Legal

Official legal document

Data Retention Schedule

SMIK-Af · School Management & Information Kit – Africa

Data Retention Schedule

Effective and Last Updated: July 15, 2026

1. Principles

Keep information only for a defined educational, contractual, safety, audit, or legal purpose. National education, employment, health, tax, child-protection, limitation, and archive laws may require a different period. Schools must document their country-specific schedule; mandatory law overrides these defaults.

2. Default Active Retention

  • Account profiles and school links: while active, then up to 30 days for ordinary deletion processing.
  • Academic and attendance records: while the student attends plus the period selected by the School under national education law.
  • Report cards and official results: as official school records under national law.
  • Financial invoices, payments, receipts, and refunds: the statutory accounting and tax period in the relevant country.
  • Forum posts, comments, chats, notices, and uploads: while active and useful, then according to school policy or deletion request.
  • Transport location: the shortest practical period for safety and dispute needs; precise location should not become a permanent student-history record without lawful need.
  • Visitor, gate, security, hostel, disciplinary, staff conduct, complaint, and safeguarding records: according to risk, due process, limitation periods, and mandatory reporting law.
  • Support tickets and administrative correspondence: up to three years after closure unless a longer dispute or legal period applies.
  • Security and audit logs: normally 12 to 24 months, adjusted for risk and investigation needs.
  • Consent and acceptance evidence: for the duration of processing plus the applicable legal-claim period.

3. Deleted Accounts

Account access is removed after verification and approval. Associated non-required data is deleted or anonymised. Official school records may remain with restricted access. Shared content is removed or anonymised unless lawful retention is necessary.

4. Backups

Deleted data may persist temporarily in protected backups until normal rotation, after which it is overwritten or rendered inaccessible. Backup data is not restored for ordinary operational use except disaster recovery.

Deletion pauses when records are reasonably needed for litigation, regulatory inquiry, fraud, child protection, a credible safety matter, or another legal obligation. Access must be restricted and the hold reviewed periodically.

6. School Exit

Schools normally receive a 30-day export period after termination. Data is then deleted or anonymised under the DPA, subject to lawful retention and backups.

7. Review

Schools and SMIK-Af should review retention at least annually and whenever national law, modules, risks, or processing purposes change.