The Department of Education, Schools Division of Pangasinan II (“the Division,” “we”), operates StayEd to support the Alternative Learning System (ALS). We are committed to protecting the personal information of the teachers, administrators, and learners whose records are kept in StayEd, in accordance with the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10173), its Implementing Rules and Regulations, and the issuances of the National Privacy Commission.
1.Scope
This policy covers personal information collected and processed through the StayEd web application, including the teacher portal, the administrator portal, and learner view links. It does not cover other DepEd systems, even where StayEd links to them.
2.Information We Collect
Account information. For teachers and administrators: full name, DepEd email address, employee ID, contact number, assigned municipality and Community Learning Center (CLC), and account preferences.
Learner information. Entered by authorized teachers in the course of their duties, and may include:
- Personal details, such as name, Learner Reference Number (LRN), sex, date of birth, civil status, address, contact details, and parent or guardian information;
- Education details, such as last grade completed and program level;
- Attendance, module distribution and returns, and assessment scores;
- Socio-economic information, such as employment status, occupation, monthly income, and Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) membership;
- Dropout risk assessments, interventions, follow-up notes, and supporting photos.
Some of this information is classified as sensitive personal information under the Data Privacy Act and is handled with a correspondingly higher level of care.
System information. Records needed to operate and secure the system, such as sign-in activity, notifications, and logs of changes made to certain learner records.
3.How We Use Information
Personal information is processed only for purposes connected with the ALS program, namely to:
- Create, verify, and manage teacher and administrator accounts;
- Maintain accurate learner records for each Community Learning Center;
- Estimate dropout risk and identify learners who may need support;
- Plan, record, and monitor interventions and their outcomes;
- Produce center-level and division-level reports for program monitoring and planning;
- Send account and system notifications.
We do not use personal information for marketing, and we do not sell it.
4.Dropout Risk Assessments
StayEd uses a statistical model to estimate the likelihood that a learner may leave the program early, based on the records entered for that learner. These estimates are decision support only. No decision affecting a learner’s enrollment or standing is made by the system alone; teachers and division personnel review the results and decide what action, if any, to take.
5.Third-Party Services
StayEd relies on a limited number of service providers to deliver specific features:
- AI-assisted recommendations. To suggest interventions and next steps, StayEd sends the learner’s risk level, the risk factors identified by the model, the intervention details, and the teacher’s follow-up notes to an external artificial intelligence service. Learner names are not included in this information. Teachers should not include names or other identifying details in follow-up notes.
- Email delivery. Account-related messages, such as registration approvals, are sent through an email service provider.
These providers receive only the information needed to perform their function.
6.Disclosure of Information
Access to information in StayEd is limited according to each user’s role: teachers see the records of the learners and centers assigned to them, while authorized division personnel see consolidated information for program management. Information may also be disclosed:
- Through a learner view link, which a teacher may enable to give read-only access to a learner’s summary, and which can be disabled at any time;
- To other DepEd offices, where required for official program monitoring;
- When required by law, regulation, or a lawful order of a court or government authority.
7.Data Security
We apply organizational, physical, and technical measures to protect personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, and loss. These include role-based access control, administrator approval of new accounts, verification of registrants against the official ALS teacher roster, and storage of passwords in hashed form. Users share in this responsibility by keeping their credentials confidential and signing out of shared devices.
8.Data Retention
Personal information is kept only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy, or as required by applicable DepEd records management rules and other laws. When records are no longer needed, they are securely deleted or anonymized.
9.Your Rights as a Data Subject
Under the Data Privacy Act, you have the right to:
- Be informed of how your personal information is processed;
- Access the personal information we hold about you;
- Object to processing, where applicable;
- Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information;
- Request suspension, withdrawal, blocking, or deletion of information, where applicable;
- Obtain a copy of your information in a commonly used electronic format, where applicable;
- Be indemnified for damages arising from the unlawful processing of your information;
- File a complaint with the National Privacy Commission.
Requests concerning a learner’s information may be made by the learner or, for minors, by a parent or guardian.
10.Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy to reflect changes in the system or in applicable law. The “Last updated” date above shows when it was last revised. Significant changes will be communicated to users through the system.
11.Contact Us
Questions, requests, and concerns about this policy or about the handling of personal information in StayEd may be directed to the Division through the Contact Us page.