1. Introduction & Scope
Welcome to Cluster Classes. This website (clusterclasses.com) and all related educational programs, batches, study kits, and digital platforms are owned, managed, and legally operated by R F Kalaster Classes (the registered business entity, hereinafter referred to as "Company", "we", "us", or "our").
Brand Name & Trademark Clarification: "Cluster Classes" is the educational brand name and trademark owned and operated by R F Kalaster Classes. All references in this Privacy Policy, fee receipts, course descriptions, or across the platform to "Cluster Classes" legally denote the registered commercial entity R F Kalaster Classes.
This Privacy Policy explains how R F Kalaster Classes collects, processes, stores, and protects personal information of students, parents, guardians, and visitors across our offline classroom coaching centre (located at Shaheen Bagh, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi) and our online digital portals. By visiting our website, submitting an inquiry, or enrolling in any program, you acknowledge and agree to the practices outlined in this policy.
2. Information We Collect
We only collect personal information that is reasonably necessary to facilitate educational counseling, batch allocation, student mentoring, admission verification, and secure platform access. We collect information across the following categories:
A. Personal & Contact Identifiers
Full name of student, parent/guardian name, email address, mobile phone number, WhatsApp contact number, residential address or city, and date of birth (where required for entrance exam age eligibility verification, e.g. NEET or JMI school entrances).
B. Academic & Batch Enrollment Details
Current school or college, grade/class (e.g. Class 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, or Dropper/Repeater), target exam (CBSE Board, NEET UG, JEE Main, CUET, JMI/AMU), preferred learning mode (Offline Shaheen Bagh classroom or Live Interactive Online), batch timing preferences, attendance logs, and internal test/assessment performance scores.
C. Transaction & Payment Records (PayU Gateway)
Records of fees paid, course name, date and timestamp of payment, transaction amount, and unique PayU transaction IDs / Order references. Important: We do not capture or store your debit/credit card numbers, CVVs, netbanking passwords, or UPI MPINs on our servers. All financial transactions are directly and safely handled by PayU.
D. Communication & Feedback Records
Inquiries voluntarily submitted via website contact forms, WhatsApp chats with our counselors, demo class booking requests, student doubt submissions, or telephonic discussions with our academic coordinators.
E. Technical, Device & Browsing Information
When you browse our website, our web servers may log standard technical data including IP address, browser type and version, operating system, referring URL, pages visited, time spent on pages, and basic diagnostic information to maintain server security and prevent automated spam.
3. How We Use Your Information
Cluster Classes processes personal data only for legitimate academic, operational, and administrative purposes, including:
- Batch Allocation & Admissions: Processing student registrations, reserving seats in small batches (strictly 15–20 students max), and issuing student ID slips or digital portal access.
- Educational Delivery: Conducting offline classroom sessions at our Shaheen Bagh centre, delivering live online classes, sharing syllabus notes, homework assignments, and scheduling doubt sessions.
- Fee Collection & Invoicing: Generating authentic fee receipts, tracking installment schedules, and verifying payment transactions through PayU.
- Academic Communication: Sending critical batch updates, schedule changes, test series timetables, holiday announcements, and student attendance alerts to parents via SMS, WhatsApp, or phone calls.
- Academic Mentorship: Reviewing student test performance, identifying conceptual weak areas, and arranging one-on-one mentor guidance.
- Platform Security & Fraud Prevention: Protecting our servers against unauthorized access, credential sharing, content piracy, and denial-of-service attempts.
- Statutory Compliance: Maintaining accounting, tax, and educational records as required under applicable Indian laws and regulations.
4. PayU & Payment Data Security
All digital payments made for course admissions, test series, or registration fees on Cluster Classes are securely processed through PayU Payments Private Limited ("PayU"), an RBI-authorized payment aggregator adhering strictly to global PCI-DSS Level 1 security standards.
When you initiate a fee payment on our website:
- You are securely directed to the 256-bit encrypted PayU payment interface.
- Billing Statement Descriptor: Digital payments processed through our gateway will reflect on your bank passbook, card statement, or UPI transaction history under our registered merchant entity name "R F Kalaster Classes" (or "PayU*RF Kalaster Classes").
- Your sensitive financial credentials—such as credit/debit card numbers, CVVs, expiration dates, netbanking passwords, and UPI MPINs—are processed exclusively on PayU's certified payment servers.
- Neither R F Kalaster Classes nor Cluster Classes ever captures, intercepts, or stores your card CVV or UPI MPIN on our internal servers or databases.
- Upon completion, PayU transmits an encrypted transaction status, order token, and transaction reference ID (UTR) back to our system to automatically issue your official admission fee receipt.
6. Data Sharing & Third-Party Processors
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to third parties for commercial advertising. Personal information is disclosed solely on a need-to-know basis to trusted service providers essential for platform operations:
- Payment Aggregators (PayU): To verify and settle authorized fee transactions, handle chargebacks, or process refunds.
- Cloud Infrastructure & Hosting: Reputable cloud server providers that host our application, database, and encrypted backups.
- Transactional Communication Gateways: SMS and WhatsApp API providers used strictly to transmit admission confirmations, OTPs, attendance notices, and fee receipts.
- Legal & Regulatory Authorities: Where required under applicable Indian laws, court orders, or lawful government directives.
7. Data Security & Technical Safeguards
Cluster Classes implements reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the data collected:
While we apply industry-standard security measures, no electronic transmission or cloud storage system is 100% impenetrable. Students and parents are advised to keep their account passwords confidential and not share credentials.
8. Data Retention & Archival
We retain personal data for as long as a student remains enrolled in our programs and for a reasonable period thereafter to fulfill the purposes for which it was gathered. Specifically:
- Active Academic Records: Retained throughout the academic session or batch duration to manage doubt resolution, test rankings, and performance tracking.
- Financial & Fee Records: Retained for a minimum period required under Indian taxation, GST, and audit regulations (typically 7–8 years).
- Inquiry Records: General inquiry forms from prospective students who do not enroll are periodically pruned after 12 months.
9. Student & Parent Privacy Rights
As a student or parent/guardian associated with Cluster Classes, you hold the following rights regarding your personal information:
- Right to Access & Review: Request a copy of the academic and contact details we hold on record for your student profile.
- Right to Rectification: Request prompt correction of misspelled names, updated contact numbers, changed residential addresses, or incorrect email IDs.
- Right to Restrict Promotional Messaging: You can opt out of receiving general informational broadcasts or course announcements at any time by contacting our support desk. Essential academic notifications (such as class rescheduling or emergency closures) will continue to be delivered for enrolled students.
- Right to Erasure: Request deletion of non-statutory records upon complete withdrawal from programs, subject to legal and tax compliance obligations.
10. Children & Minors’ Privacy
Parental Involvement for School-Age Learners (Classes 3rd to 12th)
Cluster Classes primarily serves school-age students preparing for foundational academics, board exams, and competitive entrance tests. We take special responsibility in safeguarding children's data:
- Admissions for minors under 18 must be completed with the explicit knowledge, consent, and supervision of a parent or legal guardian.
- Official communications, attendance alerts, and fee receipts are always directed to the registered parent/guardian mobile number and email.
- If a parent or guardian discovers that a child has submitted personal details without parental consent, they may contact our Grievance Desk immediately to review, update, or remove the information.
11. External Links & Services
Our website may contain links to external portals, such as official examination commission websites (cbse.gov.in, nta.ac.in, jmi.ac.in, amu.ac.in, upsc.gov.in), YouTube video references, or WhatsApp communication links. Cluster Classes is not responsible for the privacy practices, content, or terms of third-party websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any external website you visit.
12. Grievance Redressal Officer & Contact
In accordance with the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, the designated Grievance Officer for Cluster Classes may be reached for any privacy concerns, data corrections, or policy questions: