Nikola Tesla Club AfricaSTEM LabEffective 29 July 2026 • Version 2026-07-29
A practical protection standard for simulation-led learning in homes, schools and Nikola Tesla Club Africa chapters.
Children in early primary should use the platform through a parent, guardian, verified teacher or approved club mentor. Managed learner profiles use a first name or safe alias, age band and school level; the platform does not ask for a child’s date of birth, home address or public profile.
The STEM Lab has no public learner directory, unrestricted private messaging, open comments or automatic publishing of learner work. Class access uses time-limited private codes and learner evidence stays inside teacher-controlled review.
An adult must accept this agreement before creating a managed learner or joining a class. Teacher and mentor permissions are not self-selected: a designated administrator must approve them before they can create classes, view evidence or issue certificates.
Every practical activity must carry an age band, risk rating, materials list and supervision instruction. Never connect experiments to wall sockets or mains electricity. Do not use damaged batteries, unknown chemicals, flames, pressure vessels or sharp tools unless a qualified adult and an approved lesson explicitly require them.
The service stores the signed-in adult’s name and email, selected role, language, learning progress, written evidence, class memberships, teacher feedback, pre- and post-check scores, field-test reports and certificate records. Protected school, educator and guardian evidence files are stored separately from public learning content. For managed learners it stores a safe display name, age band, learning level, adult relationship and consent record.
Learning records are kept while the account remains active so progress and certificates work across devices. Protected verification files receive a retention date, require two different administrators for approval, and require two different administrators before expired evidence is deleted. Signed-in users can download their record, delete a managed learner and delete account-linked learning data and protected files. A safeguarding case may retain a restricted, anonymised incident record after account deletion when needed to protect a child or complete an active investigation; this exception requires independent legal and child-protection review before the pilot begins.
Participating schools must nominate a safeguarding lead, obtain any locally required parent or guardian permissions, supervise hands-on activities, protect class codes and report safety or privacy incidents promptly. Pilot evidence should use anonymised learner identifiers in research reports.
The platform records response targets of two hours for immediate concerns, 24 hours for urgent concerns and 72 hours for standard concerns. These timers support accountability but are not emergency services. Immediate danger must be reported directly to the school safeguarding lead and appropriate local emergency services. Trained personnel, escalation contacts and independent oversight must be confirmed before real learners are onboarded.