Today, all schools find it a challenge to manage day-to-day activities using older systems like physical files and ledgers or even Excel spreadsheets. Administrative work, student attendance, student information, and admissions require a lot of manual effort as well as time, and there is no visibility between various departments. That is the reason in a nutshell why cloud, mobile, and digital technologies are becoming important. In fact, Education ERP software and cloud-based student information systems are generating more interest from educational institutions than ever before.

Here are the pain points that schools talk to us about when discussing the need for an ERP implementation.

4 Common problems with manual processes in school management

Here are the most commonly observed problems in school management that a modern school ERP solution like Edumate ERP (from iTech) can resolve.

1. Paper-based processes

There is a lot of information that is processed on a daily basis in a school environment. Think about the numerous records generated for fees, student attendance, admissions, examinations and transport. Then there are timetable and teacher schedules, payroll processing, library management and hostel management. Every process generates a large number of records and saving it on an excel spreadsheet or in manual ledgers is a painstaking and time consuming process.

The worst part of it is accessing information from all these different sources is never easy. For instance, if the Principal of the school wants to know how many students have defaulted in their fee payment, it would need a request to be sent to the finance team. The report would be sent back probably a few hours later.

The Solution: Now imagine the same scenario if a modern Education ERP software was implemented. The principal need not have to ask anyone for the information. They would only need to go to the fee module of the Cloud-based ERP, filter a search for the required conditions and in a single click of a button, the required data will be displayed on the digital dashboard.  An education ERP for schools end the requirement of paper based processes and empowers the staff with faster ways of getting work done accurately.

An education ERP for schools end the requirement of paper based processes and empowers the staff with faster ways of getting work done accurately.

2. No transparency in data

This is an actual scenario that schools face that can highlight the extent of the problem. If a student takes a transfer certificate or a TC as it is popularly called, the office will make a entry in their files but the library does not receive the information. This means that the student can still use the facilities and take out books. School management requires a lot of collaboration but when each department is not communicating, problems will arise. A manual system can never make communication seamless.

The solution: A centalized database would be the answer for information to get updated in all departments. A cloud-based ERPlike Edumate, automatically shares information to other departments and this cuts down on duplicate work of updating each department records with the same information. A good ERP software is easily recognizable as one that maintains data in real time i.e. when one person enters information into the system, all the connected departments will immediately get the updated data in the same second it is saved to the centralized database.

A good ERP software is easily recognizable as one that maintains data in real time

3. No aggregation of data for actionable insights

Institutions are finding that if they have no quick data report generation tools then they will lag behind other schools that are using analytical tools to make informed decisions. Controlling and managing the vast volumes of data generated by the educational institution’s personnel, non-staff, and students is among the most significant issues. It might be challenging to uncover insights or produce timely reports when dealing with manual data and documentation.

The solution: Dashboard reports give educators instant access to attendance, grades etc. Using analytical tools will help to identify students at academic risk and deploy the right resources to boost their achievements.

With all schools, admission and enrollment is a yearly activity. An ERP for schools will help streamline the online admission process and do away with the long queues that many parents still have to endure,

A student information system can do much more than this, it can help schools grow.  Schools are constantly looking at ways to increase their student enrollments.  With data analytics, there is no need to rely on assumptions when making decisions. The data insights provided will help administrators better understand where to focus their marketing efforts.For instance, Edumate ERP will give you numbers and statistics in an easily understandable dashboard to backup your decisions for more successful outcomes.

With data analytics, there is no need to rely on assumptions when making decisions.

4. Difficulty in student-teacher-parent communication

Parents in most schools can only communicate with their child’s educational institution via phone calls or the handbook. There was no shared platform or efficient student management system for students, staff, and parents to interact, offer comments, and receive critical alerts/announcements relevant to the institute and their kids.

As a result, many parents are utterly unaware of their children’s academic development, performance, and well-being until there is a parent teacher meeting.

The solution:  A cloud ERP will provide a unified dashboard through mobile app interface that enables communication with staff, students, and parents. For example, automatic alerts for fee payments are possible through the app. Student portals allow for checking assignments, uploading completed projects, and viewing lecture schedules. Teachers can access a dashboard where they may submit reports, assign homework or assignments, evaluate uploaded student work, and send mass messages to students as needed. Parents access vital online data regarding their children’s attendance, grades, and fee payments.

Overview of Edumate ERP

Edumate school software solution provides various modules to solve the complex challenges of educational institutions. It has 30+ modules to automate every step of your operations. The SIS system (student information system) has features like fee management, admission management, account management, student management, attendance management, transport management etc.

While Edumate is the name of the complete package, within the technology there are independant tools that can be used on their own:

Eduleap – Our online admission system can be implemented as a standalone system and can seamlessly integrate with any other system processes you might already be using, such as student information systems.

Edonline – It is the best online examination software. It is a feature rich system that facilitates easy creation and administering of tests. The intuitive user-interface provides different features for faculty and students.

Edumate ERP is a cloud-hosted software that offers a multi-institute management system. It has a versatile set of communication protocols to satisfy the various needs of different educational institutes, be it schools, colleges, universities, or group institutions.  With 18 years of experience gained from partnering with leading educational institutions, we have used this expertise in building customized solutions for institutions from medical and engineering to arts and science colleges. Get in touch with us to request a free demo on Edumate!