Partnership agreement

Article 1 — Purpose

This agreement sets the terms on which the School uses Sahel EDU: first a free trial, then, if it wishes, a subscription at the price agreed with Sahel EDU. The general terms of use published on the website supplement the agreement; in case of conflict, the agreement prevails.

Article 2 — The free trial

1. Length. The trial lasts 30 days from the opening of the School’s space. It is free: no invoice is issued during the trial.
2. Extension. Sahel EDU may extend the School’s trial, for a reason it records. The end date of the trial is always visible to the management in the platform.
3. What the trial includes. The opening of the School’s space and its address, help with setting it up, initial training of the people the School designates, and support.
4. No commitment. The School may stop at any time during the trial, owing nothing. Article 6 then applies to its data.

Article 3 — After the trial: a negotiated price

1. Before the end of the trial, Sahel EDU proposes a price to the School for the following period. This price is negotiated with each school: it is not the same for everyone.
2. The price is agreed in writing (a signed amendment, or a proposal accepted by email or message). It states the amount, the period covered and, where applicable, the modules included.
3. The School is free to accept or refuse. If it refuses or does not reply, nothing is owed for the trial, and access evolves according to article 4.

Article 4 — Access at the end of the trial or of a period

At the end of the trial, or of any paid period, with no new period agreed, access follows the rule displayed in the management’s space: a warning, then read-only mode (you can look, nothing can be saved), then suspension. No data are deleted by this mechanism: everything returns as soon as a period is agreed and invoiced. The head keeps the subscription page and the export of the School’s data.

Article 5 — Price, invoice and payment

1. Each agreed price gives rise to a separate invoice, issued by Sahel EDU, numbered and verifiable by QR Code (Sahel Shield). It states the subject “Subscription to the Sahel EDU school management platform”, the amount and the period covered.
2. The amount is expressed and paid in CFA francs, by the means of payment shown on the invoice.
3. Each month, the School receives a subscription receipt, showing the month’s share of the agreed price.
4. Any applicable taxes are shown on the invoice, in accordance with the regulations in force on the date of issue.
5. An issued invoice is never altered: an error is corrected by a credit note.
6. Any change of price during a period is agreed again in writing.

Article 6 — The School’s data

1. Ownership. The data entered by the School belong to it. Sahel EDU hosts and processes them on its behalf, only to provide the service.
2. Access and export at any time. The management exports all its data at any time, from the platform, in an open, readable format (spreadsheet), including during the trial, in read-only mode and during suspension.
3. No deletion by surprise. Neither the end of a trial, nor the end of a period, nor an unpaid invoice deletes the School’s data.
4. After use ends. If the School ends the agreement, its space becomes read-only for 30 days, long enough to export, then it is closed; the data are kept encrypted for 6 months to allow a return, then erased, unless the law requires otherwise. The School may ask in writing for earlier erasure.
5. Documents already issued. Report cards, certificates and attestations already given to students remain verifiable through their Sahel Shield QR Code.

Article 7 — Confidentiality and personal data

Sahel EDU does not sell, rent or disclose the data to third parties, unless required by law. Only the persons authorised by the School have access, and sensitive readings are logged. The parties apply Cameroonian law no. 2024/017 on the protection of personal data: the School informs families and staff; Sahel EDU assists it in answering their requests. Each party keeps the other’s non-public information confidential, during the agreement and for five years after.

Article 8 — Security

1. Data are encrypted in transit and, for the most sensitive (identity documents, health, scans), at rest; they are backed up every day in encrypted, separate copies.
2. Each school is kept apart: no person from another school can read its data.
3. The management and senior officers sign in in two steps; each person’s rights depend on their role in the school; sensitive readings and important actions are logged.
4. In the event of an incident affecting the School’s data, Sahel EDU informs it as soon as possible and tells it what measures have been taken.
5. The School keeps its credentials confidential, makes sure each account is used only by its holder, and reports any loss or suspicious use without delay.

Article 9 — The School’s commitments

1. To provide accurate information about the School, including its opening authorisation.
2. To appoint a contact person to deal with Sahel EDU.
3. To use the platform in accordance with the law and its purpose: no unlawful content, no attempt to access another school’s data, no copying or resale of the platform.
4. To pay the invoices issued within the time they state.
5. It remains free to organise its management as it sees fit: there is no obligation to run everything on Sahel EDU.

Article 10 — Intellectual property

The Sahel EDU platform, its code, screens, document templates, trademarks (Sahel EDU, Sahel Shield) and documentation are the exclusive property of Sahel EDU. The School receives a personal, non-exclusive and non-transferable right of use for the term of the agreement. Suggestions for improvement may be freely incorporated by Sahel EDU.

Article 11 — Service and liability

Sahel EDU does its utmost to provide an available, secure and backed-up service (best-efforts obligation). Maintenance interruptions are, as far as possible, announced and scheduled outside teaching hours. Sahel EDU is not liable for failures of the School’s network, electricity or devices, nor for incorrectly entered data. Except in case of gross negligence, its total liability is capped at the sums paid by the School in the twelve months before the event; during the trial, it is limited to restoring the service and the data from backups.

Article 12 — Term, suspension and termination

1. The agreement takes effect on acceptance and lasts as long as the School uses the platform.
2. Either party may end it in writing, with 30 days’ notice; during the trial, the School may stop at any time, without notice. Article 6 then applies. The end of the agreement does not relieve the School of paying the periods already invoiced.
3. In case of use contrary to article 9, or of risk to the security of other schools, Sahel EDU may suspend an account or the space without notice, and informs the School at once.
4. An unpaid invoice leads, after a reminder, to the warning, read-only mode and then suspension, as provided in article 4.

Article 13 — Image and communication

With a separate, revocable consent (box below), the School may be cited as a partner school (name and logo on the website and in presentations). Without this consent, Sahel EDU does not cite its name. No figure or result of the School is published without its consent.

Article 14 — Launch discount (Diamond Year)

1. Launch discount (Diamond Year): a School that signs this agreement while the offer is in force pays, for the first year of the Complete plan, a fixed price of 500 CFA francs per student, whatever its size, including above the enrolment from which the price is negotiated.
2. Second year onwards: from the second year, the price per student is agreed in writing between the Parties on signature of this agreement, in the form this agreement sets for any agreed price (amount, period covered). The Essential and Standard plans are not covered by the Diamond Year.
3. After the trial: the first-year price applies to the first year of subscription that follows the 30-day free trial. The plan’s minimum charge is unchanged.
4. Payment: the first year is paid in one go or in three instalments at no extra cost, like any year of subscription.

Article 15 — Turnkey digitalisation

1. A one-off contribution: the amount of turnkey digitalisation is not the price of the work. It is a one-off contribution, a proof of the School’s commitment. If the School did it itself, it would be months of data entry; the Sahel EDU team does it in 72 working hours, counted from receipt of payment and of the complete file.
2. In Cameroon: where needed, Sahel EDU covers the travel of its team for on-site digitalisation and staff training, at no additional cost to the School.
3. Outside Cameroon: installation is done remotely and training online, guided by the assistant built into the platform. No travel by the team is planned outside Cameroon.

Article 16 — Final provisions

1. Force majeure: neither party is liable for a failure due to an event beyond its control (disaster, general outage, decision of the authorities).
2. Changes: Sahel EDU may change the platform and the general terms; a change unfavourable to the School is announced 30 days in advance and allows it to end the agreement at no cost. A later version of this agreement applies only with the School’s consent.
3. Amendments: any change to the agreement is made by written amendment.
4. Acceptance and proof: the School accepts the agreement online, when it registers, or by signing it. Sahel EDU keeps the version accepted, the date and the name of the person who accepted it; the management can find them in the platform.
5. Law and disputes: the agreement is governed by Cameroonian law and the OHADA Uniform Acts. The parties first seek an amicable settlement for 30 days; failing that, the competent court of Ngaoundéré is seized.
6. Languages: the agreement is drawn up in French, English and Arabic; in case of discrepancy, the French version prevails.