Data Privacy Notice

Learn about our Mandate, Mission statements and Regulatory Instruments 

Who Are We?

Botswana Teaching Professionals Council (the Council) in carrying out its statutory mandate, processes personal information relating to teachers, applicants, employees, service providers, and other stakeholders in accordance with the Data Protection Act, No. 18 of 2024.

The Council is committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring that your personal information is processed lawfully, fairly and securely in accordance with the Data Protection Act. This Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, disclose, store and protect your personal information.

To Whom Does This Apply?

This notice applies to all personal data collected, processed and stored by the Council in delivery of its mandate and all its services.

Add Your Heading Text Here

Depending on your interaction and relationship with us, we may collect personal information including:

  • Name, Surname, Date of Birth and Gender
  • National Identity Number or Passport Number
  • Postal and physical address
  • Email address and Telephone number
  • Employment and professional information, such as employer, position, employment history, and information regarding professional registration and licencing
  • Academic and professional qualifications Recruitment information, including information contained in curriculum vitae, applications, references and other information related to the recruitment process
  • Supplier and service provider information, including business contact details, identification information, professional credentials, banking or payment information, tax information and information contained in tender, procurement and contractual documentation;
  • Documents submitted in support of various applications to the Council
  • Financial information including banking and payment details, where required for employment, procurement, supplier management, payment or other lawful operational purposes;
  • Sensitive Information relating to Biometric information such as fingerprints access control and CCTV footage captured at the Council’s premises for the safety and security of employees, visitors and property
  • Information contained in enquiries, complaints or correspondence
  • Information relating to legal, regulatory or disciplinary matters, where necessary for the Council to perform its statutory or legal functions
  • Website usage information, including IP address, browser types and cookies.
  • Other personal data necessary for a legal or operational purpose

How We Collect Your Information?

We collect personal information directly from you when you:

  • Register or apply for a teaching license
  • Submit an online enquiry
  • Submit complaints and information for a disciplinary process
  • Apply for employment opportunities
  • Participate in surveys or research
  • Subscribe to newsletters or communications
  • Interact with our website
  • Submit information as a supplier, contractor or service provider
  • Provide goods or services to the Council or interact with us in the course of a business relationship

Why We Process Your Personal Information?

We process personal information to:

  • Process teacher registration and licensing applications
  • Maintain the register of teachers
  • Provide our statutory services
  • Investigate complaints and disciplinary matters
  • Communicate with applicants and stakeholders
  • Manage recruitment and procurement processes
  • Improve our website and online services
  • Maintain the security of our systems
  • Comply with legal and regulatory obligations and
  • Perform any other functions authorised under applicable legislation.

What is the Legal Basis for Processing?

If we process your personal data, we do so based on the following lawful grounds:

  • Public Interest: where processing is necessary for tasks carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the Council
  • Legal Obligation: to comply with applicable laws and regulations.
  • Consent: where you have freely given specific and informed consent.
  • Contractual Necessity: to perform or enter into a contract with you.
  • Legitimate Interests: where processing is necessary for legitimate interests pursued by the Council, for purposes such as, but not limited to, security, business continuity and fraud prevention.

Website Browsing and Use: where you browse or interact with our website, we may process information such as your IP address, cookies and information about your use of the website.

Why would we share your Personal Data?

Your data may be shared with:

  • The Government, agencies and regulators
  • Law enforcement where legally required
  • Third-party service providers under binding agreements
  • Financial institutions and auditors
  • Other parties where disclosure is necessary and lawful

How do we secure your Data?

The security of your personal information is crucial in our stewardship of the data you entrust to us. We employ appropriate measures to safekeep your data, including but not limited to:

  • Implementation of our privacy and information security policies.
  • Encryption of data
  • Regular security audits
  • Access control mechanisms to ensure only authorized personnel can access personal data
  • Implementation of globally accepted cyber security frameworks and tools to safeguard digital assets and prevent cyber threats.

What are your rights?

Under the Data Protection Act you have the right to (but not limited to):

  • Access your personal information held by the Council
  • Object to automated processing your personal information
  • Request deletion or correction of your personal information
  • Give or withdraw consent to processing your personal information
  • Be notified of security breaches leading to unauthorized access to your personal information
  • Lodge complaints with the Council or the Data Protection Commissioner

How long do we keep your data?

Your data shall be kept for only as long as the purpose for the data collected requires. Another reason for retention of your data is when it is required by relevant local laws and regulations.

In addition, your data may be retained for statistical and archiving purposes as is guided by the relevant local laws and regulations.

The data stores and data processing platforms employed by the Council are limited to localised servers as well as cloud hosted services which meet the security requirements of the Data Protection Act, No. 18 of 2024.

Use of cookies on website

We use cookie technology on our website to enhance browsing experience. Cookies are small files which are stored on a user’s computer when you use our website. We have non-essential cookies that enable us to distinguish users, and strict transport security which allows a website to declare itself as a secure host. You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings. For more information refer to our Cookie Notice.

Changes to this Privacy Notice

We reserve the right to update or revise this Privacy Notice from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We encourage you to review this Privacy Notice periodically for any updates.

How to Contact Us

If you have questions or want to exercise your rights, please contact our Data Protection Officer at:

Email: dpo@botepco.org.bw   

Phone: +267 393 3472

Address: Fairground Office Park, Plot 63726, Gaborone