Instructor, Mentor & Alumni Mentor Code

1. Who this applies to

This code applies to everyone who teaches, mentors or reviews work at Elimu Sasa:

• instructors, who design and lead courses and live sessions;
• industry mentors, professionals who review learner work and share practical experience; and
• alumni mentors, graduates who support learners coming behind them.

It sits alongside any agreement you have with Elimu Sasa, our Safeguarding & Under-18s policy and our Responsible AI Use policy.

2. Learner-first mentoring

Your job is to help learners build real skills and real work. Give specific, honest and kind feedback. Explain the why, not just the what. Encourage learners to solve problems themselves, and never do their project for them.

3. Respect

Treat learners, colleagues and staff with courtesy and fairness, whatever their background or experience level. You are a role model, and the standards in our Learner Code of Conduct apply to you too.

4. Professional boundaries

• Communicate with learners through official channels: our learning platform, scheduled sessions, cohort groups and Elimu Sasa email.
• Keep sessions and messages professional in content, tone and timing.
• Do not form romantic or sexual relationships with learners you teach, mentor or assess.
• Do not meet learners privately in person outside approved activities.
• Do not ask learners for money, gifts or favours.

5. Harassment

Harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination and bullying are never acceptable, and are treated as serious misconduct. This includes behaviour towards learners, other instructors and mentors, and staff.

6. Private paid work

Do not offer, accept or arrange private paid work, tutoring or services with learners while they are on a course you are involved in. After a course ends, any business relationship must be voluntary, transparent and not connected to your role in assessing them. If in doubt, ask us first.

7. Confidentiality and personal information

• Use learner information only for your role, and do not share it outside Elimu Sasa.
• Do not download, copy or keep learner records, recordings or contact lists beyond what your role needs.
• Keep client information from course briefs confidential.
• Report any loss or exposure of personal information immediately, as described in section 15.

8. Learners’ intellectual property

Learners own the original work they create. Do not use, publish or reuse learner work, for example in your own portfolio, marketing or client pitches, without the learner’s permission and Elimu Sasa’s agreement.

9. AI

Follow our Responsible AI Use policy. Do not put learners’ personal data, unpublished work or confidential client information into AI tools that are not approved for that use. You may use AI to help prepare feedback, but the judgement and the sign-off must be yours.

10. Assessment integrity

• Assess work against the published criteria, consistently and fairly.
• Sign off work only when you are satisfied it meets the standard and is the learner’s own.
• Do not change outcomes because of pressure, friendship or payment.
• Report suspected academic dishonesty rather than dealing with it privately.

11. Communications and social media

Do not post learners’ names, images, work or session content on social media without their permission. When you speak publicly about Elimu Sasa, be accurate, and make clear when you are giving your own views.

12. Alumni mentors

Alumni mentors bring recent, relatable experience. You support learners with encouragement, practical tips and peer feedback. Final assessment and sign-off decisions are made by instructors or industry mentors, unless we agree otherwise. The same boundaries, confidentiality and safeguarding standards apply to you.

13. Public profiles

With your agreement, we may publish a profile showing your name, photograph, role, professional biography, expertise, selected achievements and professional links. You can review it before it goes live and ask us to update or remove it at any time.

14. Your private information

We never publish your phone number, personal email address (unless you ask us to), ID number, payment information, home address, contract or internal notes. Our Privacy Notice explains how we handle your information.

15. Conflicts of interest

Tell us if you have a personal, family, business or financial connection with a learner you are asked to teach, mentor or assess. We will arrange for someone else to assess their work where needed. Declaring a conflict is the right thing to do and is not a mark against you.

16. Reporting concerns

Report straight away if you:

• have a safeguarding concern about anyone. See our Safeguarding policy;
• suspect a personal data breach, such as a lost device, a message sent to the wrong person or a compromised account. Email privacy@elimusasa.com immediately, even if you are not sure it is serious; or
• see behaviour that breaks this code or our learner code.

17. Consequences

Breaching this code may lead to a conversation and guidance, removal from a cohort or assessment role, removal of a public profile, or ending your engagement with Elimu Sasa. Serious matters may be reported to the authorities where the law requires. We will follow a fair process and give you a chance to respond, except where immediate action is needed to keep people safe.