App	PadhAI Mitra (Android)
Package name	com.pratham.padhAIgovBihar
Published by	Pratham Education Foundation
Last updated	15 August 2026
Effective from	15 August 2026
Target audience	Teachers working on Pratham's Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) programme in Bihar, in association with the Government of Bihar. Assessment data about children is recorded by these adults; children do not use the app themselves.
Scope	This is the privacy policy for the PadhAI Mitra Android app, published to meet Google Play's privacy-policy requirement and linked from the app's Play listing and from inside the app. It describes what data the app collects, stores, processes and sends, and the permissions it uses. Programme consent procedures are run in the field, outside the app, and are not part of this notice.

1. Introduction

PadhAI Mitra is a free, non-commercial field data-collection and reading-assessment tool built by Pratham Education Foundation. It is installed on devices used by teachers running Pratham's Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) programme in Bihar, in association with the Government of Bihar's Department of Education.

The app user signs in with the School UID, creates the batch in the school, creates a profile for each child, and conducts reading and maths assessments. During a reading assessment the child reads aloud; the app listens through the device microphone, evaluates the reading on the device itself, and records the resulting reading level.

Two groups of people are covered by this notice:

App users - teachers

They log in to the app with school UID and conduct the assessments.

Children being assessed

They do not use the app, do not create accounts and do not log in. Their assessment data is entered and recorded by the app user.

This is not a consumer app. It is not offered to the general public. There are no advertisements, no in-app purchases, no third-party advertising or marketing SDKs, and no tracking for advertising purposes anywhere in PadhAI Mitra. We do not sell or rent personal data to anyone, and we do not use personal data to train commercial AI models.

This notice explains, in plain language, exactly what the app collects, why, where it is stored, what leaves the device, and how long it is kept. It covers only the PadhAI Mitra Android app and the programme servers it talks to. It does not cover other Pratham apps or websites, which have their own notices.

2. Children's data - read this first

Children do not use this app. Every piece of information about a child is entered by a trained adult teacher (name, grade, and avatar).

• We collect the minimum needed. We do not knowingly record more information about a child than the assessment needs, and we never use a child's data for advertising, profiling or marketing, or for any commercial purpose.
• No ads, ever. PadhAI Mitra shows no advertisements to children or to anyone else, and contains no advertising SDK, ad-attribution SDK or ad mediation SDK. Nothing in the app is personalised or interest-based advertising, and no third-party advertising or analytics SDK is permitted to profile children.
• No advertising identifier is collected. PadhAI Mitra does not collect or transmit the Google Advertising ID (AAID), IMEI, IMSI, SIM serial, MAC address, BSSID, SSID or phone number. The app does record the Android ID of the device it is installed on - a per-app, per-device identifier that Android resets on factory reset - so that synced records and error logs can be traced back to the device that produced them. It identifies a device in the programme fleet, not a child, and it is never used for advertising (Section 3.4).
• No location, no camera, no contacts. See Section 3.5.
• No photographs of children. The avatar shown against a child's profile is a pre-supplied cartoon illustration the app user picks from a list. The app never uses the camera.

PadhAI Mitra is built to meet Google Play's Families policy requirements for apps that handle data about children.

3. What information the app collects

3.1 App user (teacher) information

Collected when the app user logs in and sets up a batch:

School UID

Sent to the authentication server to sign the user in and to load the correct school. The app does not ask for an email address or a personal account, and no password is stored on the device.

Teacher name

To attribute assessments to the person who conducted them.

Assessment-language selection

To load the assessment content and speech models for the right language.

Batch details

The batch the teacher creates in the school, so that each child profile and assessment is filed against the right group.

Once signed in, the app keeps a login-state flag and the school and batch identifiers on the device so that it continues to work offline.

3.2 Information about the children being assessed

Entered by the app user during profile creation and assessment:

Child's name

To identify the profile within the batch.

Grade / class

Assessment content and reporting are grade-linked.

Avatar (a cartoon picture chosen from a list)

Purely cosmetic. No photograph is taken or uploaded; the app never uses the camera.

Student code, and batch, school and programme identifiers

To link the assessment to the right child, and programme.

Assessment data

Assessment responses, question-level answers, derived reading and maths proficiency levels, manually assigned levels, assessment start and end times, and test history.

We do not collect a child's date of birth, address, photograph, contact number, Aadhaar or any other government identifier, caste, religion, health data or family income through this app.

3.3 Voice recording and reading assessment data

This is the heart of the app, so we describe it precisely.

• The microphone is used only while a reading assessment is actually in progress, after the app user taps the record control. Before the app ever asks Android for microphone permission, it shows a plain-language disclosure screen explaining what is recorded and why, and recording cannot begin until the user accepts it. The app never records in the background, and never records on any other screen.
• The speech recognition runs entirely on the device. PadhAI Mitra contains an offline speech-recognition engine and language models stored locally on the device. The child's voice recording is not streamed anywhere, not uploaded to any server, not sent to Google, and not sent to any cloud speech service or any other party. No internet connection is needed to score a reading.
• The recording is written to a temporary working file in device storage only for as long as the app needs to process it, and is deleted from the device at the end of the assessment. Uninstalling the app removes any remaining audio files.
• What is saved and later synced to the programme servers is the result of the reading, not the audio: the transcription produced by the on-device engine, the derived reading and proficiency scores, and the assessment record described in Section 3.2.

3.4 Technical information

(a) Technical data that leaves the device

Attached to synced records and error logs so we can identify data sources and fix problems:

• Android ID - a per-app, per-device identifier that Android resets on factory reset. We do not collect IMEI, MAC address, phone number, SIM data or the Google Advertising ID.
• Device manufacturer and model, Android OS version and app version, sent with synced records so we can tell whether a scoring, recording or sync problem is specific to a type of phone or a build.
• Diagnostic and error logs - timestamps, error messages, stack traces, the method in which an error occurred, the device details above, and the sync/session identifier. These are uploaded to the programme servers to diagnose sync and app failures.
• Crash reports collected by Google Firebase Crashlytics when the app stops unexpectedly: the technical stack trace, device state at the time of the crash, and an anonymous per-installation identifier generated by Crashlytics. Crashlytics is disabled in internal debug builds and active in the published release. Crash reports are used only to diagnose and fix crashes.

(b) Technical data read on the device only, and not transmitted

• Network connection state - whether the device is currently online and whether it is on Wi-Fi. The app checks this so it can queue records while offline and sync them when a connection is available. The check result is used on the device and is not sent anywhere.
• Available app update - the app asks Google Play whether a newer version is available and shows the standard in-app update prompt (Section 7).

(c) What the app stores on the device

• An app-private database holding the profiles, assessment records and pending sync queue described in Sections 3.1 and 3.2, so that teachers can work in schools with poor connectivity.
• App preferences - the login-state flag, the school and batch identifiers, and the chosen assessment language.
• The offline speech-recognition language models and assessment content files used to score a reading without an internet connection.
• The temporary working audio file for the assessment in progress, deleted at the end of that assessment (Section 3.3).

Android's automatic cloud backup for this app is disabled, so none of the above is copied to a Google account (Section 8).

3.5 What PadhAI Mitra does not collect

For the avoidance of doubt, the app does not access, collect or transmit:

• your location - no location permission is requested, coarse or precise. The school is identified only by the School UID entered at sign-in.
• your contacts, call logs, SMS or calendar
• your camera, photos, or media files you did not create with this app
• a child's date of birth, address, photograph, phone number, Aadhaar or any other government identifier
• payment or financial information (the app is free, with no purchases)
• any advertising identifier, and it contains no advertising or ad-attribution SDK
• health, biometric, caste, religion, family income or other sensitive category data

We also do not sell, rent or trade any personal data to anyone for any purpose, and we do not use personal data to train commercial AI models.

4. Android permissions the app requests, and why

Microphone (RECORD_AUDIO, MODIFY_AUDIO_SETTINGS)

To record the child reading aloud during an assessment, and to configure audio routing and input levels for recording and playback. Recording happens only during an active assessment (Section 3.3).

Foreground service - microphone (FOREGROUND_SERVICE, FOREGROUND_SERVICE_MICROPHONE)

Android requires this so that the on-device speech-recognition engine can keep receiving audio reliably for the duration of a reading, without the system cutting it off.

Internet / network and Wi-Fi state (INTERNET, ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE, ACCESS_WIFI_STATE)

To sign the app user in, to download assessment content and reference data, to sync completed assessments and logs to the programme servers, and to detect connectivity so the app can queue data when offline and sync when online.

Read/write device storage (READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE, WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE)

To store the offline speech-recognition language models and the temporary working audio file the model reads.

The app requests no location permission, no camera permission and no contacts permission.

The app works offline for assessment. Internet is needed only to sign in, to fetch content and to sync results.

5. How we use the information

We use the data described above only to:

1. Sign the app user in and load the correct school and batch (Section 3.1).
2. Conduct and score reading and maths assessments, and record the resulting levels for each child (Sections 3.2, 3.3).
3. Understand how children's learning is progressing, and create an aggregate/individual report for the government teacher and district administration officials of Khagaria district.
4. Improve the app and, in particular, the accuracy of the reading-assessment models.
5. Keep the app working - sync, crash-fixing and app updates (Section 3.4).

Assessment data is used for educational and programme purposes only. It is never used for advertising, credit scoring, marketing profiles, or any decision adverse to a child. We do not use the data to make any automated decision that has a legal or similarly significant effect on a child.

6. Who we share information with, and where the data goes

• Nobody, for money. We do not sell, rent or trade personal data.
• Pratham teams, on a need-to-know basis.
• The Government of Bihar, Department of Education, and Pratham's programme partners and funders, as programme reporting. Wherever the purpose can be met without individual-level data, we share it in aggregated or de-identified form.
• Google (Firebase Crashlytics), our crash-reporting provider, which processes crash diagnostics on our behalf. See Google's privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy
• Google Play, which handles app distribution and the in-app update prompt.
• Where the law requires it - for example a valid order from a court or authority, or a valid government request.

We do not disclose personal data to anyone else.

Where the data goes

On the device

Data is stored in an app-private database on the device so that teachers can work offline in areas with poor connectivity. Android's automatic cloud backup for this app is disabled (allowBackup="false"), so app data is not copied to a Google account.

Programme servers

When the device is online, records are synced over HTTPS to the programme's backend servers - the child profiles and assessment records in Sections 3.1 and 3.2, and the technical data in Section 3.4(a). No audio is ever synced. These servers are operated by the District Administration of Khagaria, Bihar, and the Government of Bihar, Department of Education, and the data is stored in India.

7. Third-party services inside the app

Firebase Crashlytics (Google)	Crash reports, device state at the time of the crash, and an anonymous installation identifier.
Google Play In-App Update (Google)	Standard Play update checks.

These providers process data as our service providers. Google's handling of this data is governed by the Google Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

The offline speech-recognition engine bundled in the app runs only on the device and sends audio nowhere. PadhAI Mitra contains no advertising, attribution or ad-mediation SDK of any kind.

8. How we protect the information

• All communication with the servers uses HTTPS.
• The on-device database is app-private and is not readable by other apps.
• Cloud backup of app data is disabled, so app data is not copied off the device to a Google account.
• Audio recordings never leave the device, and are deleted at the end of each assessment.
• Microphone access inside the in-app browser is restricted to a single trusted domain over HTTPS and denied to all other origins.
• Sign-in uses a School UID only. The app holds no personal account, no email address and no stored password.
• Access to server-side data is restricted to authorised staff.
• Release builds are code-shrunk and obfuscated.

No system is perfectly secure, but we take reasonable technical and organisational measures appropriate to the sensitivity of the data, and we review them.

One thing to be aware of: because assessment data is stored inside the app on the device until it is synced, anyone who can unlock that device can open the app and see it. Programme devices must be kept locked and must not be shared.

9. How long we keep the information

Child profile

Child name, grade, avatar.

Audio recording of the child reading

Deleted from the device at the end of each assessment. Never uploaded, never stored on any server.

Assessment records on the device

Until they have been synced and the app's local data is cleared, or the app is uninstalled.

Assessment records on servers

Kept for the duration of the programme and for the period required for programme evaluation, audit and statutory reporting, after which they are deleted or irreversibly anonymised.

Error logs and crash reports

Kept for a limited diagnostic period, typically not more than 12 months.

Uninstalling the app removes all data held on that device. It does not remove records already synced to servers.

Aggregated or fully anonymised statistics, from which no child can be identified, may be kept indefinitely for programme reporting and research.

10. Google Play Data safety declaration

The Data safety section on PadhAI Mitra's Google Play listing is the short, structured summary of this notice. The two are intended to say the same thing. In summary, PadhAI Mitra:

Data collected or shared

School UID, teacher name, batch details; child's name, grade, student code and reading- and maths-assessment results; app version, device model, manufacturer and OS version; crash logs and diagnostics.

Data collected from children

Yes - entered by the teacher, not by the child. The app's target audience is declared accordingly and Google Play's Families policy requirements are met.

Audio / voice recordings

Processed on the device only, and deleted at the end of the assessment - not collected, not uploaded, not shared. Because the app declares RECORD_AUDIO, a prominent in-app disclosure is shown before the permission is requested.

Location, contacts, photos, camera, files, financial info, health data, messages

Not collected. No location permission is requested.

Device or other IDs

The Android ID (a per-app identifier reset on factory reset), and the anonymous per-installation ID inside a Firebase Crashlytics crash report. No advertising ID, no IMEI, no MAC address, no SIM data, no phone number.

Data shared with third parties

Google (Firebase Crashlytics) as our service provider; the Government of Bihar (Department of Education), and programme partners and funders, in aggregated or de-identified form wherever individual-level data is not required.

Data used for advertising or marketing

No. The app contains no advertising SDK and shows no ads.

Data encrypted in transit

Yes (HTTPS). Android cloud backup of app data is disabled.

Data deletion

Uninstalling the app removes everything held on that device. For records already synced, write to the address in Section 12.

If you find any difference between this notice and the Data safety summary, this notice is the fuller statement and we will correct the summary.

11. Changes to this notice

If we change what the app collects or how we use it, we will update this notice, change the "Last updated" date at the top, and publish the new version at the notice URL listed on our Google Play listing. Where a change materially affects how children's data is handled, we will additionally communicate it through programme channels to the field teams.

12. Contact

For any question about this notice, or to ask about data held about a child or a teacher, write to:

Pratham Education Foundation
Email: dataprotectionofficer@pratham.org