Data Privacy Policy for Sun Hwa International Academy

This Data Privacy Policy outlines how Sun Hwa International Academy ("we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, processes, shares, protects, and disposes of your personal information in compliance with the Republic Act No. 10173, otherwise known as the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (DPA), and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR).

Sun Hwa International Academy is committed to protecting the privacy and security of the personal data of our students, parents, guardians, faculty, staff, alumni, and other individuals who interact with our institution.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of personal information, which may include, but are not limited to:

• Personal Identification Information: Name, date and place of birth, gender, nationality, civil status, religion, government-issued identification numbers (e.g., SSS, TIN, PhilHealth, Passport No.), student ID number, employee ID number, photos, videos, and biometric data.
• Contact Information: Home address, email address, telephone numbers (landline and mobile).
• Academic Information: Schools previously attended, academic records (grades, transcripts, diplomas, certificates), disciplinary records, attendance records, awards and recognitions.
• Family Information: Names and contact details of parents, guardians, and other family members.
• Health Information: Physical and mental health status, medical history, allergies, disabilities, and information related to health services provided by the institution.
• Financial Information: Bank account details (for payroll, tuition fee payments, scholarships, etc.), financial status of parents/guardians (for financial aid applications).
• Employment Information (for faculty and staff): Resume or curriculum vitae, employment history, educational background, professional licenses, certifications, and other employment-related information.
• Information collected through our website (shia.edu.ph) and online services: IP addresses, browser type, operating system, pages visited, date and time of access, and information collected through cookies and similar tracking technologies (refer to Section 7: Cookies and Tracking Technologies).
• Other information: Any other information voluntarily provided to us for legitimate purposes, such as information provided during inquiries, applications, surveys, events, or in emergency situations.

2. How We Use Your Information

We collect and process personal information for the following legitimate purposes:

• Student Admission and Enrollment: Processing applications, verifying qualifications, and facilitating enrollment.
• Academic Administration: Maintaining academic records, managing classes and schedules, evaluating student performance, providing academic support, and conferring degrees and certificates.
• Student Affairs and Support Services: Providing guidance and counseling, health services, library services, IT support, career services, and facilitating participation in co-curricular and extra-curricular activities.
• Faculty and Staff Administration: Recruitment, employment, payroll, performance management, professional development, and provision of benefits.
• Communication: Disseminating information, announcements, and updates relevant to the Sun Hwa International Academy community.
• Security and Safety: Ensuring the safety and security of our students, personnel, and campus facilities, including the use of CCTV cameras.
• Alumni Relations: Maintaining contact with alumni, organizing alumni events, and providing alumni services.
• Research and Institutional Development: Conducting research for academic and institutional improvement purposes (data will be anonymized or aggregated where appropriate).
• Compliance with Legal Obligations: Fulfilling requirements mandated by law, government agencies (e.g., Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, National Privacy Commission), and regulatory bodies.
• Financial Management: Processing tuition fees, scholarships, grants, payroll, and other financial transactions.
• Website and Online Services Management: Improving our website (shia.edu.ph) functionality, user experience, and for statistical analysis.
• Other Legitimate Educational Purposes: For any other purpose necessary for the fulfillment of our educational mandate and the provision of services to our stakeholders, provided that such purposes are compatible with this Policy and applicable laws.

3. How We Share Your Information

We may share your personal information with the following parties, only when necessary and for legitimate purposes, and in accordance with the DPA:

• Internal Sharing: Relevant departments and personnel within Sun Hwa International Academy who have a legitimate need to access the information for the purposes stated above.
• Parents/Guardians: Information regarding a student's academic progress, attendance, and well-being, as permitted by law and school policies, particularly for students who are minors.
• Government Agencies: When required by law, such as the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), National Privacy Commission (NPC), Bureau of Immigration, and other regulatory bodies.
• Service Providers: Third-party vendors and service providers who assist us in our operations (e.g., IT service providers, learning management system providers, payment gateways, healthcare providers), subject to appropriate data sharing agreements and confidentiality obligations.
• Accrediting Bodies: For accreditation and quality assurance purposes.
• Partner Institutions: For student exchange programs, joint academic initiatives, or other collaborations, with your consent.
• Alumni Associations: For alumni engagement activities, with your consent.
• Legal Counsel and Authorities: In response to legal processes, court orders, or to protect our legal rights, safety, and property, or that of others.
• Emergency Situations: To appropriate parties to protect the vital interests of the data subject or another person.

We will not share, sell, rent, or trade your personal information with third parties for their marketing purposes without your explicit consent.

4. Data Security

Sun Hwa International Academy implements appropriate organizational, physical, and technical security measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, loss, or destruction. These measures include, but are not limited to:

• Restricted access to personal data based on roles and responsibilities.
• Use of secure servers and databases.
• Encryption of sensitive data where feasible.
• Regular security assessments and updates to our security protocols.
• Training of personnel on data privacy and security.
• Secure disposal of physical and electronic records when no longer needed.

While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee absolute security for data transmitted over the internet.

5. Data Retention

We will retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by applicable laws and regulations. Academic records are generally retained indefinitely for historical and statistical purposes. Other personal data will be disposed of in a secure manner when no longer needed or upon your request, subject to legal and legitimate operational constraints.

6. Your Rights as a Data Subject

Under the Data Privacy Act of 2012, you have the following rights:

• The Right to be Informed: You have the right to be informed whether your personal data shall be, are being, or have been processed.
• The Right to Access: You have the right to request access to your personal information that we hold.
• The Right to Object: You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data, including processing for direct marketing, automated processing, or profiling.
• The Right to Erasure or Blocking: You have the right to suspend, withdraw, or order the blocking, removal, or destruction of your personal data from our filing system upon discovery and substantial proof that the personal data are incomplete, outdated, false, unlawfully obtained, used for unauthorized purposes, or are no longer necessary for the purposes for which they were collected.
• The Right to Rectify: You have the right to dispute the inaccuracy or error in your personal data and have us correct it immediately and accordingly, unless the request is vexatious or otherwise unreasonable.
• The Right to Data Portability: Where your personal data is processed by electronic means and in a structured and commonly used format, you have the right to obtain a copy of such data in an electronic or structured format that is commonly used and allows for further use by you.
• The Right to Lodge a Complaint: You have the right to file a complaint with the National Privacy Commission if you believe your data privacy rights have been violated.
• The Right to Damages: You may be indemnified for any damages sustained due to inaccurate, incomplete, outdated, false, unlawfully obtained, or unauthorized use of personal data, taking into account any violation of your rights and freedoms as a data subject.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Data Protection Officer (see Section 9: Contact Us). We will respond to your request in accordance with the DPA and other applicable laws.

7. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website (shia.edu.ph) may use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your Browse experience, analyze website traffic, and understand user preferences. Cookies are small text files stored on your device. You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website.

8. Changes to This Data Privacy Policy

Sun Hwa International Academy reserves the right to update or modify this Data Privacy Policy at any time. Any changes will be posted on our website (shia.edu.ph) with the updated effectivity date. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your personal information.

9. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Data Privacy Policy or our data processing practices, or if you wish to exercise your rights as a data subject, please contact our Data Protection Officer (DPO) through the following channels:

Data Protection Officer
Sun Hwa International Academy
Antipolo City, Rizal, Philippines
dpo@shia.edu.ph

Effectivity Date: June 3, 2025

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