Purpose
This manual is published under section 51 of the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000 (PAIA). It explains what records SchoolSeek holds, which of them are already available without a formal request, and how to request a record that is not.
Head of the private body
SchoolSeek is operated by the owner of SchoolSeek, South Africa. The owner of SchoolSeek is the head of the private body for PAIA purposes and the Information Officer under POPIA, registered with the Information Regulator (registration 2026-065006); the full name is on record with the Regulator and available on request. Contact: [email protected]. Postal address: available on request. Information Officer registration number with the Information Regulator: 2026-065006 (registered 23 August 2026).
Records held
SchoolSeek holds: the public EMIS school dataset published by the Department of Basic Education; details submitted by schools through the claim form or self-serve portal; claim submissions and the correspondence around them; aggregate, anonymised analytics; and operational logs (server and email-delivery logs). We do not hold personal records about learners.
Records available without a request
Everything published on schoolseek.co.za is available without a formal request, including every school profile, our privacy policy, our terms of use, and this manual. You do not need to submit a PAIA request for information that is already on the site.
How to request a record
To request a record not already published, submit the Information Regulator's Form 2 to [email protected]. We aim to respond within 30 days, as required by PAIA, and may extend that once by a further 30 days where the Act allows. Fees may apply, prescribed by the PAIA regulations current at the time of the request. For the current form and fee schedule, see the Information Regulator's guide: https://inforegulator.org.za/paia/.
Processing of personal information
How SchoolSeek collects, uses, and protects personal information, including the purposes we process it for, who we may share it with, any transfer outside South Africa, how we secure it, and your rights under POPIA, is set out in full in our privacy policy, not repeated here.
Availability of this manual
This manual is published on schoolseek.co.za and is also available by emailing [email protected].
Information Regulator contact
The Information Regulator (South Africa) oversees PAIA and POPIA compliance. General enquiries: [email protected]. Complaints: [email protected]. Website: https://inforegulator.org.za.
Requesting a record, or have a question about this manual?
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