Thuto Terms and Conditions of Use v3.0

Version 3.0 | Effective Date: 6 October 2026 | Replaces version 2.0 (effective 8 April 2026). Existing users: see clause 16.1.

Thuto Education Online (Pty) Ltd | Reg: 2017/650754/07

7 Carnoustie, Jackal Creek Golf Estate, Northriding, Johannesburg, Gauteng, 2169

info@thuto.io | https://thuto.io/

Important Notice to All Users

Please read these Terms carefully before using the Platform. By creating an account, ticking the acceptance box, or using the Platform or any of our Services, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms. Clauses printed in bold limit our liability, impose obligations or risks on you, or require you to indemnify us. Please pay specific attention to them.

These Terms are governed by and must be read with: the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (CPA); the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA); the Financial Intelligence Centre Act 38 of 2001 (FICA); and the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 (ECT Act).

For students: These are the rules for using Thuto. If you are under 18, your parent or guardian must agree to them for you and help you follow them. A plain-language summary is in Appendix A.

1. Introduction and Parties

1.1 These Terms and Conditions of Use ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Thuto platform and all services offered through it ("Services"), operated by Thuto Education Online (Pty) Ltd, Registration Number 2017/650754/07 ("Thuto", "we", "us", "our").

1.2 "Platform" means the website at https://thuto.io/, the learner and parent web app at app.thuto.io, the Thuto for Teachers portal at teacher.thuto.io, any native mobile application published by Thuto, and any related application.

1.3 "You" and "your" refer to any person who accesses or uses the Platform, including learners, parents, legal guardians, teachers, tutors, schools and tutoring centres.

1.4 These Terms supersede version 2.0 and all prior versions. Our Privacy Policy forms part of these Terms.

2. Our Services

2.1 What Thuto Does

Thuto motivates deeper learning by making learners' daily academic effort, engagement and progress visible, so that teachers can support it and parents can reward it to improve academic performance. The Platform is designed for learners in Grades 8 to 12 following the South African CAPS curriculum.

2.2 The Parts of the Platform

The Platform has three connected parts:

• Learner app: where learners revise with Thutor, join a class, self-report marks, complete tasks, and earn, save, spend and cash out Thuto Coins.

• Parent app: where parents and legal guardians link to their children, complete identity verification, choose a plan, top up and reward, set coin controls and savings goals, and review marks and requests.

• Thuto for Teachers: a portal where teachers, schools and tutoring centres manage classes, follow learner engagement, assign revision and tasks, and capture or verify marks.

The learner app and parent app are one installable web app. The account type selected at sign-in (student or parent) determines which version you see.

2.3 Thutor

Thutor is Thuto's learning tool inside the learner app. It includes:

• Revision: a guided conversation in which the learner revises any topic from this term, or revision set by their teacher or Thuto, using questions and hints. Thutor does not give learners the answer;

• Exam: practice papers weighted toward the learner's weaker topics;

• Notes: study notes personalised from the learner's results; and

• Ask Thutor: a chat feature available from any learner screen.

Topics are released according to the learner's school Annual Teaching Plan (ATP) and, where loaded, the school's assessment plan, including a recap in assessment week. Thutor is available to learners on all plans, subject to the usage limits in clause 5.

2.4 Marketplace and Financial Features

Thuto Coins can be used to buy airtime, data and vouchers through the Thuto Marketplace, saved toward goals, or cashed out (clause 4). Thuto is a registered Third Party Payment Provider sponsored by Nedbank Limited ("Nedbank"). Card payments are processed by Paystack. Your use of Nedbank-, Paystack- or partner-powered services is also subject to their terms.

Thuto acts only as a facilitator for Marketplace purchases. Fulfilment, delivery and quality of airtime, data and vouchers are the responsibility of the relevant supplier. Complaints about a product should be directed to that supplier; we will help you reach them.

Our current Marketplace suppliers are AllNet (airtime and data) and Cysend (Amazon.co.za vouchers). Changes to suppliers will be shown on the Platform.

3. Accounts and Registration

3.1 Learner Accounts

Learners create their own account in the learner app by providing personal and school details, setting a password, confirming a one-time verification code, and completing short onboarding steps (including their subjects, the support they need, a target mark and a study reminder time). Learners can earn Thuto Coins for completing sign-up steps (clause 4.1), but coins only become available once a parent or guardian is linked (clause 3.3).

3.2 Parent and Guardian Accounts

Parents and legal guardians create a separate account in the parent app by providing their details, setting a password, confirming a one-time verification code, and adding or linking a child. A parent may link more than one child and manages each child's plan, controls and goals separately.

3.3 Linking a Parent and a Learner

A learner's account must be linked to a parent or legal guardian before the learner can earn, hold, spend, save or cash out Thuto Coins. Before linking, the learner may still use Thutor and their activity still counts toward their learning metrics.

By linking to a learner, you confirm that you are that learner's parent or legal guardian, or are otherwise lawfully entitled to consent on their behalf. We may ask for proof of guardianship. Linking under false pretences is a material breach of these Terms.

3.4 Minors

The Platform is designed mainly for learners under 18. A learner under 18 may use the Platform only with the consent of a parent or legal guardian. The linked parent or guardian accepts responsibility for the learner's use of the Platform and for all amounts they fund or approve. The linked parent is notified when an under-18 learner's password is changed.

Before a parent or guardian links, a learner may use Thutor. During this period we collect only what is needed to run Thutor for the learner and to invite their parent or guardian to link. No coins become available, and no financial features can be used, until a parent or guardian links and gives consent.

3.5 Teacher, School and Tutoring Centre Accounts

Teachers register on Thuto for Teachers using their school's code. Registration is immediate. Schools and tutoring centres are set up by Thuto and receive a school code. Clause 6 sets out how these accounts work.

3.6 Accuracy of Information

You warrant that all information you provide is true, accurate, current and complete, and that you will keep it up to date. We may verify information and may suspend or close any account where information is inaccurate or fraudulent.

3.7 Identity Verification (FICA)

A parent or guardian must complete identity verification (KYC) once before any coin action is unlocked for their linked children, including top-ups, rewards, spending, savings and cash-outs. Verification collects personal details (including name, nationality, identity number and address), financial details (occupation, source of income and purpose of funding) and a declaration of whether you are a politically exposed person. We may request supporting documents.

If you do not complete verification, or if we cannot verify you, financial features will remain unavailable or may be suspended. We may decline or reverse transactions where required by FICA or our sponsor bank.

3.8 One Account and Account Security

Each person may hold only one account of each type. You may not create accounts using another person's identity. Keep your password confidential and tell us at info@thuto.io immediately if you suspect unauthorised access. Passwords are reset using a 6-digit code sent by WhatsApp or email.

You are responsible for all activity on your account until you notify us of unauthorised access.

4. Thuto Coins

4.1 What Thuto Coins Are

One Thuto Coin (TC) has a value of R1.00. Thuto Coins are held in the learner's Thuto Wallet and are backed by funds held through our sponsor bank. Thuto Coins are not a deposit, investment or currency, and do not earn interest.

Learners can receive Thuto Coins from:

• completing and closing learning gaps in Thutor;

• marks that are accepted by a parent, verified by a teacher, or captured by a teacher (clause 7);

• bonuses a parent attaches to recognising a completed task;

• rewards and top-ups sent by a parent;

• completing sign-up steps (5 TC per step, up to 40 TC); and

• funded programmes run by schools, sponsors or other funders (clause 5.5).

Coins are awarded only once a parent or guardian is linked. Coin awards are calculated by the Platform. Teachers and parents cannot override an award, except through the parent reward and bonus features.

4.2 Spending Restrictions on the Free Plan

On the Free plan, only 5 TC of a learner's balance may be spent, and only on airtime. Remaining coins stay in the wallet and become available for spending if the parent subscribes to Thuto Core (clause 5.2).

Coins earned on the Free plan have no cash value until unlocked. If an account is closed while on the Free plan, locked coins are forfeited.

4.3 Spending

Learners can use Thuto Coins to buy airtime, data and vouchers in the Thuto Marketplace, subject to their plan and their parent's coin controls.

4.4 Savings Goals

A savings goal has a name, a coin target and an end date, and may include automatic saving of 10%, 25% or 50% of every reward received. Parents create goals; learners can request a goal, which the parent must approve before coins can be added. Learners may move coins into a goal at any time.

A learner may withdraw a reached goal to their wallet only if the parent has enabled "Let {child} withdraw savings". Otherwise the parent must approve each withdrawal.

Coins in a savings goal remain Thuto Coins held in the learner's wallet. Savings goals do not earn interest.

4.5 Cashing Out

Thuto Coins may be cashed out as follows. Fees are added on top of the amount cashed out and are not charged on failed cash-outs.

Cash-outs are subject to our sponsor bank's and payment providers' rules, limits and processing times. We are not liable for delays caused by their systems. We may hold or decline a cash-out where required by law or to investigate suspected fraud.

4.6 Parent Coin Controls

For each linked child, the parent decides:

• whether coins may be spent without approval, and up to what limit;

• which actions the child may take without approval: buying, moving coins to a goal, and cashing out; and

• which notifications they receive.

The parent is responsible for the controls they set. Where a parent allows a child to spend, save or cash out without approval, transactions within those settings are treated as authorised by the parent.

4.7 Errors and Reversals

We may reverse coins awarded in error, through a system fault, or on the basis of false marks or other misuse. Our liability for coin awards is limited to correcting errors caused by Platform system failures.

5. Plans, Payments and Fees

5.1 Plans

Each learner is on a plan chosen by their linked parent. Plans are chosen per child.

A learner cannot pay for a plan. If a learner tries to use a paid feature, they can send their parent a request.

Ask Thutor is limited to 5 new conversations per rolling 7 days for all learners. We may add features to Thuto Core and will tell parents when we do.

5.2 Thuto Core Billing

Thuto Core is billed monthly in advance. When a parent first subscribes, coins the learner has already earned are unlocked for spending, less any coins already spent on the Free plan (up to 5 TC).

Thuto Core renews automatically each month and is charged to the parent's card through Paystack until the parent cancels (clause 5.6). If a payment is overdue, the learner keeps the coins they have already earned and the coins available to earn at that time, and we will notify the parent.

We will give at least 30 days' notice of any change to plan prices or included features.

5.3 Top-ups and Rewards

Parents can top up a child's wallet and send rewards at any time. Card payments are processed by Paystack, and top-ups are credited at R1.00 per TC. A card fee of 2.9% plus R1.00 is added to each top-up. Thuto does not store card details.

The minimum top-up is R10. There is no maximum top-up amount, but all top-ups are subject to FICA monitoring and our sponsor bank's rules.

5.4 Fees Summary

All fees are shown before you confirm a transaction:

• Thuto Core: R100.00 per child per month;

• card top-up: 2.9% plus R1.00 per top-up;

• Cashout: R12.10 per cash-out; and

• PayShap: R5.00 per cash-out.

5.5 Funded Access

A school, sponsor or other funder may pay for a learner's access or fund coins for learners under a separate agreement with Thuto. Where this happens, the parent does not pay for the funded part. We will tell the parent if funded access ends and what the learner's plan becomes.

5.6 Cancellations and Refunds

Subject to the CPA and the ECT Act:

• you may cancel Thuto Core at any time, effective at the end of the current paid month;

• you may cancel within 7 days of your first payment for a full refund if you have not used paid features, as provided in section 44 of the ECT Act;

• coins already credited to a learner's wallet are not refundable to the parent but remain the learner's, subject to clause 4.2;

• card fees and cash-out fees are not refundable once the transaction is processed; and

• refunds for Marketplace products follow the supplier's refund policy.

6. Schools, Teachers and Tutoring Centres

6.1 Schools

Thuto sets up each participating school and issues a school code (format THU-[district]-[4 digits]). The school account can share its code, track teacher registration and learner link status, and see grade-level insights. Thuto loads each school's ATP and may load its assessment plans.

A school that participates warrants that it is authorised to do so and that information it gives Thuto is accurate. Where a school or other funder pays for learners' access, a separate agreement governs that arrangement.

6.2 Teachers

Teachers register on Thuto for Teachers with their school's code. Registration is immediate and Thuto does not verify teaching credentials. A teacher may act as:

• a class teacher , who owns one class across all subjects, creates the class, shares the class code with learners in person, sends nudges, sets tasks, uploads assessment plans and sees Parent view; and/or

• a subject teacher , who selects the learners they teach by grade and subject, assigns extra revision, and captures or verifies marks.

Thuto does not verify teachers' identities or credentials. Schools are responsible for making sure that only their staff register with their school code, and should tell us at once if a code is misused. Teachers are not Thuto's employees or agents, and we are not responsible for their conduct.

6.3 Teacher Conduct

Teachers must use learner information only to support those learners' learning, must not share class codes publicly, and must not contact learners or parents outside the Platform using information obtained from it. Messaging in Thuto for Teachers happens in-app only.

6.4 Tutoring Centres

Tutoring centres receive the same features as schools, with "tutor" in place of "teacher". References to schools and teachers in these Terms include tutoring centres and tutors.

6.5 What Teachers Can and Cannot See

Teachers see only learners at their school; a class teacher sees only their class, and a subject teacher sees only the learners they have selected. Teachers never see who pays a learner's plan, payment status, contact details, or individual coin and reward amounts (rewards are shown only as totals and counts). Parent activity is shared with teachers only with the parent's consent.

7. Marks, Tasks and Learner Insights

7.1 Marks

Learners self-report marks for classroom assessments. The linked parent can accept a mark or ask the subject teacher to check it. The teacher can confirm or correct the mark, or capture a mark directly. A mark stays pending if no parent is linked. The parent app shows a hint where a mark looks unusual for that learner.

Learners and parents are responsible for the accuracy of self-reported and accepted marks. Submitting or accepting false or inflated marks is a material breach of these Terms and may lead to reversal of coins, suspension of the account, and referral to the school. Thuto does not check marks against school records.

7.2 Tasks

Class teachers may set tasks that happen outside the app (for example, reading, writing or research). Learners mark tasks complete, and parents may recognise a completed task and add an optional coin bonus.

7.3 Learner Metrics and Insights

The Platform calculates learning metrics from learner activity, including whether a learner is active, their engagement, effort, consistency, progress and task completion. These metrics may be used to flag learners who are doing well or who may need support, and are shown to the learner's teachers, school (at grade level) and parent.

Metrics and flags are automated indicators of engagement, not assessments of a learner's ability, and must not be used as the sole basis for any decision about a learner. Thuto does not store benchmark or official school results.

7.4 FQ Score

The FQ Score is a score out of 500 reflecting how a learner earns, saves and spends Thuto Coins. It is shown to the learner and their parent and, on Thuto Core, may unlock discounts and rewards. The FQ Score is an educational feature only. It is not a credit score and is not shared with any credit bureau or lender.

8. Thutor and AI-Generated Content

8.1 Thutor uses Thuto's proprietary machine-learning system to decide what each learner should revise. Large language models, currently Google Gemini and DeepSeek, are used in a limited way to generate hints and to respond in Ask Thutor. We do not send learners' personal information to these providers.

8.2 Thutor is a supplementary learning tool. It does not replace teachers, schools or professional tutoring, and it does not guarantee any academic result.

8.3 AI-generated content can be incomplete or wrong. Learners should check important information with their teacher or textbook. Learners must not use Thutor or Ask Thutor to cheat in any formal assessment.

8.4 Ask Thutor conversations are stored and analysed by Thuto to understand each learner's needs and to improve the personalisation of Thutor, as described in the Privacy Policy. Parents and teachers cannot see Thutor or Ask Thutor conversations. Learners should not share personal information, such as their phone number or address, in Ask Thutor.

To the extent permitted by law, Thuto is not liable for any loss arising from reliance on AI-generated content.

9. User Responsibilities

9.1 You must not:

• provide false information, including false marks or a false guardianship claim;

• use another person's account, or let another person use yours;

• post or send abusive, threatening, defamatory or discriminatory content;

• attempt to access parts of the Platform you are not permitted to see, including another user's information or parent-only screens;

• interfere with or reverse-engineer the Platform, or attempt to manipulate coin awards;

• use the Platform for money laundering, fraud or any unlawful purpose; or

• help anyone else do any of these things.

A breach of this clause is a material breach of these Terms and may lead to reversal of coins, suspension or closure of the account, referral to the relevant authorities, and legal action.

9.2 You are responsible for a compatible device and internet connection, and for any data or SMS costs charged by your network.

9.3 If you find a security flaw, please report it to info@thuto.io and do not exploit it.

10. Intellectual Property

10.1 All content and technology on the Platform, including Thutor, its learning content, assessment frameworks, software, designs, logos and trademarks, is owned by or licensed to Thuto and protected by law, including South African Patent 2025/04812 and international application WO 2024/100515.

You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell or create works from any part of the Platform without our prior written consent.

10.2 Content you submit (such as marks, task responses and Ask Thutor messages) remains yours. You grant Thuto a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to use it to provide and improve the Services, as set out in the Privacy Policy.

11. Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability

11.1 We aim to keep the Platform available and accurate, but it is provided "as is" and "as available". We do not guarantee that it will be uninterrupted or error-free.

11.2 To the maximum extent permitted by law, Thuto and its directors, employees, contractors and partners are not liable for any indirect, consequential or incidental loss arising from your use of the Platform. Where we are liable, our total liability to you is limited to the fees you paid to Thuto in the 12 months before the claim arose, excluding coins held in a learner's wallet, which remain yours.

11.3 We are not liable for: the conduct of teachers, schools or tutoring centres; Marketplace product fulfilment; delays or failures of our sponsor bank, Paystack, cash-out providers or networks; coin awards based on false marks; or transactions a parent has allowed through coin controls.

11.4 Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be limited under the CPA or other mandatory law, including liability for gross negligence.

12. Indemnities

You indemnify Thuto and its directors, employees, contractors and partners against any claim, loss, damage or cost (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your breach of these Terms, false information you provide (including false marks or a false guardianship claim), or any unlawful act or omission by you. This indemnity survives termination.

13. Privacy

We process personal information in accordance with POPIA and our Privacy Policy, which forms part of these Terms. Information about learners under 18 is processed only with the consent of a parent or legal guardian and with a heightened standard of care. When you accept these Terms, you are also asked to confirm you have read the Privacy Policy. The acceptance box is never pre-ticked.

14. Complaints and Dispute Resolution

14.1 Complaints. Contact us first at info@thuto.io. We will acknowledge your complaint within 2 business days and aim to resolve it within 20 business days.

14.2 Negotiation and mediation. If a complaint is not resolved, either party may refer the dispute to mediation by an independent mediator agreed by both parties, with costs shared equally unless agreed otherwise.

14.3 Arbitration. If mediation fails, the dispute may be referred to confidential arbitration under the expedited rules of the Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa (AFSA), with an arbitrator appointed by AFSA.

14.4 Your consumer rights. Nothing in this clause prevents you from referring a dispute to the National Consumer Commission, the National Consumer Tribunal, an accredited ombud, or the Information Regulator, or from approaching a court with jurisdiction.

15. Suspension and Termination

15.1 You may close your account at any time by contacting us at info@thuto.io. A parent may unlink from a learner or cancel a learner's plan in the parent app.

15.2 We may suspend or close an account for breach of these Terms, suspected fraud, a legal or regulatory requirement, or a sponsor-bank instruction. Where practicable, we will give notice and reasons.

15.3 When an account is closed, available (unlocked) coins in a learner's wallet can be cashed out for 90 days after closure, subject to KYC and clause 4.5. Locked coins are dealt with under clause 4.2. Personal information is then handled as set out in the Privacy Policy.

15.4 Plan fees already paid are not refunded on termination, except as set out in clause 5.6 or required by law.

16. General Provisions

16.1 Changes to these Terms. We may update these Terms. We will notify you in the app or by email at least 30 days before a material change takes effect, and ask you to accept the updated Terms. If you do not accept, you may close your account.

16.2 Force majeure. Neither party is liable for delays caused by events beyond its reasonable control, including load-shedding, network or banking outages, natural disasters, pandemics or government action.

16.3 Entire agreement. These Terms, the Privacy Policy and any policies published on the Platform form the entire agreement between you and Thuto.

16.4 Severability. If any provision is found unenforceable, it is severed and the rest continues in force.

16.5 Governing law. These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa.

16.6 Electronic communications. You agree to receive notices electronically, in the app or by email, under the ECT Act.

17. Contact and Notices

• Entity: Thuto Education Online (Pty) Ltd

• Email: info@thuto.io

• Address (also our address for legal notices): 7 Carnoustie, Jackal Creek Golf Estate, Northriding, Johannesburg, Gauteng, 2169

• Website: https://thuto.io/

Notices from Thuto are treated as received when they reach your registered email address or are shown in the app. Notices to Thuto are treated as received when we acknowledge them.

Appendix A: Plain-Language Summary for Students

This summary helps you understand the main rules. The full Terms above are what count.

How Thuto works

• Thutor helps you revise the topics your class is working on, with guided revision conversations, practice exams and notes.

• Thutor gives you hints, not answers. You earn coins when you actually close the gap.

• Thutor uses AI, and AI can make mistakes. If something looks wrong, check with your teacher.

• You can join your class with the code your teacher gives you in person.

Thuto Coins

• 1 Thuto Coin is worth R1.

• You earn coins from Thutor, your marks, sign-up steps, tasks your parent recognises, and rewards from your parent.

• Your parent or guardian has to link to your account before you can use your coins.

• On the Free plan you can only spend 5 coins, on airtime. If your parent subscribes to Thuto Core, your other coins unlock.

• Your parent decides what you can do on your own, like buying, saving or cashing out, and what needs their approval.

• Cashing out costs a small fee, which is added on top.

Marks

• Enter your real marks. Your parent can check them, and your teacher can confirm or correct them.

• Fake marks break the rules. You could lose coins and your account.

Your information

• Your teachers can see how you are doing with your learning, but not your coins, who pays for Thuto, or your contact details.

• Your parent cannot read your Thutor or Ask Thutor chats.

• If you have a question, ask your parent, guardian or teacher, or email info@thuto.io.