Schools worldwide are exploring different avenues to provide the best education to their students. Admins, teachers, and other stakeholders are working continuously to improve educational standards. As the face of education has changed over the years, educational institutions are coming up with interactive ways to keep students engaged in the learning process. Moreover, technology is also assisting the education sector in exploring different avenues. As a result, educational organizations worldwide are providing a higher level of education to students. However, just relying on the modern method of education is not enough. In addition, admins must monitor the operations to improve efficiency and maintain the highest educational standards. Institutes can use ERP software to enhance operational efficiency and take care of academic and non-academic activities.
What is an institute ERP?
ERP software is designed to manage multiple functions at a single time. The software is also known as administration and business process management software. It supports admins in making long-lasting decisions that affect the overall efficiency of an organization.
Schools and other educational institutions have passed their worst phase during the pandemic. It was difficult to carry out daily operations, but with the help of an institute ERP software, they were able to pass this dark phase. These days if any educational organization wants to maintain a balance between administrative work and academic excellence, they rely on the institute ERP software. Moreover, this software also helps institutes fulfill their sustainability goals. As the software reduces the use of paper, institutes can save the cost as well as take eco-conscious steps for a greener environment. Schools can go paperless with the help of different modules included in this software.
Important modules in a school management ERP system
A school management system includes multiple modules that make the task easier for all stakeholders. With this system, teachers can connect with their students in real-time. Moreover, students can utilize this software to gain knowledge anywhere and anytime. The modules that make these tasks effortless for parents, teachers, students, and principals are mentioned below.
- Fee management system
A fee management system is vital for schools and colleges as it fastens the fee collection process. Moreover, the system allows students and parents to submit fees in various ways, including card payments and net banking. The system also eliminates the risk of faulty entries and omissions. Moreover, it provides a comprehensive view to admins through fee reports. The fee management software generates detailed fee records which capture various information, including the time and date of fee payment.
Advantages of a fee management module in the ERP software
The major advantages of using this critical module are given below.
- Access to online reports: Admins can generate detailed reports to know how many students have paid the fees and how many are on the fee defaulters list. Moreover, the report also provides information on the payment modes. Today, the world has majorly shifted to online payment modes, and everyone likes to do financial transactions at their fingertips. The fee management system allows online payments and also provides a detailed report of the same. Admins and school staff can easily track the amount payable, refunded, and the amount offered as a discount.
- User friendly: This module is easy to understand and use. Moreover, vendors provide training and support to help stakeholders understand the functions. The fee management system is developed to provide an unmatched fee collection experience to staff and students.
- Cloud backup: The data generated through this module are backed up on the cloud storage system. Having the data stored on cloud storage removes the possibility of data mismanagement. Moreover, the system allows users to get access to the data whenever they need it.
- Security: One of the issues with the paper-based record is the chances of data getting lost. However, a fee management system uses cloud storage, thus ensuring security. Moreover, this module can be synchronized with payment gateways for safer transactions.
- Transparency: Every financial transaction can be tracked easily through a fee management system. This ERP module ensures financial safety and enables the decision makers to take preventive measures if they sense fraudulent activities.
- Pay from anywhere: With a fee management module, parents and students can pay fees from any corner of the world. They can access the system from anywhere at their convenience. The system also provides detailed information on the payment modes.
A fee management system is a crucial module of the ERP system. Without this module, the fee payment system cannot be streamlined. It automates the fee collection and payment process and offers transparency to every stakeholder.
- Attendance management system
An attendance management system is vital as it provides insight into the attendance ratio in a classroom. It enables teachers to calculate the attendance percentage in a few clicks. Moreover, this ERP module is also beneficial in realizing the classroom attendance trend. Teachers can know the number of students not meeting the attendance criteria in their classroom.
Advantages of the attendance management system
An ERP software containing an admission management module offers the following benefits to educational institutions.
- Easy to use: An attendance management system is easy to use and is designed to help teachers record classroom attendance in a few clicks. The interface is user-friendly, and anyone can use it without facing any inconvenience. The platform is designed in a way that non-tech savvy teachers can also use it with ease.
- Zero errors: Automation reduces the chances of errors and makes the processes streamlined. Moreover, this module also helps institutes take an eco-conscious step by reducing paper wastage. As teachers no longer use bulky registers to record attendance, it reduces paper usage.
- Reduced costs: The attendance management module also reduces operational costs as the costs incurred on buying stationery get cut down. As schools do not need to buy stationery and registers, they can bring down the expenses. Moreover, this module also helps educational institutions save time and resources.
- Review analytics: Analytics is critical in every aspect of a business. Schools can use the analytical reports to know the classroom trend and see how many students meet the attendance criteria.
- Ease of compliance: Every school follows specific rules regarding attendance and wants to ensure those guidelines are met. An attendance management module ensures that the guidelines are followed.
An attendance management module of the ERP software reduces the workload of teachers and ensures productivity. When teachers are saved from redundant activities, they can focus on their core task, i.e., to provide the best education to their students.
- Library management
A library management system is crucial for educational institutions of all sizes. It makes the task easier for librarians and helps them manage book stocks easily. The system also takes care of book requests, helps in categorizing books into different sections, and tracks the books in circulation. Moreover, it also helps readers find their favorite words using book title, author, and other relevant keywords.
Advantages of library management module
The library management module is advantageous for students, librarians, and other book lovers. The significant benefits of using this module of ERP software are:
- Time-saving: Roaming inside the library when searching for a book is time-consuming. Students and other book lovers move from one corner to another to search for their favorite books. With a library management module, readers can find their books in a few clicks. As the system keeps a record of books and manages the catalog, it saves a lot of time. Moreover, the library management module eases the process of book returns.
- Improved productivity: With automation, library managers can perform their tasks easily without wasting much time. Moreover, they can use the saved time in other activities, thus improving their productivity at work. The module also enables librarians to record book entries digitally.
- Better management: With a library management module, librarians can keep a record of books and other reading resources digitally. They do not need to maintain a manual record. Moreover, they can keep a count of the number of books in circulation. Therefore, it can be concluded that the system enables better book management.
- Better library functions: As the software enhances the productivity of library staff, the overall efficiency goes up. In a nutshell, the software is used to amplify library functions.
The library is one of the crucial infrastructures for any educational organization. Therefore, managing its operations effectively becomes crucial. With the ERP software, librarians can take care of all functions of a library.
- Transport management
Managing students’ commute is crucial for every educational institution. A transport management system helps admins manage the fleet of vehicles. Moreover, the system also contributes to allocating drivers to different vehicles and managing security inside the school bus.
Advantages of transport management
Using different modules of ERP software offers different advantages to users. The major benefits of using the transport management system are:
- Safety: A transport management system is fueled by the power of the GPS monitoring system. As a result, parents can track their child's location in real-time. It ensures the safety of students and keeps parents updated about the exact location of their children. The system also keeps parents informed about the pick-up and drop-off timings.
- Improved maintenance: Managing the fleet of vehicles is tiring for transport managers. The transport management module takes care of the vehicles by providing maintenance alerts and notifications. The system sends maintenance notifications to transport managers before the due date.
- Better administration: The transport management system takes care of all aspects which remain untouched by the traditional transportation system. It also enables the admins to make changes in the bus routes before the start of the actual journey. Admins can add or remove students from a particular bus route. They can make changes anytime as and when the demand changes. For example, the demand for changes in the bus route changes during the start of an academic year.
- Efficiency: School management can use the transport management system to make changes in the schedules of bus drivers. The system keeps track of drivers’ activities, driving schedules, licenses, expiration dates, and their overall profile.
Making students reach school on time is crucial for school management. Moreover, they must ensure that children are leaving the school campus on time. A transport management system takes care of students’ commute and ensures their safety by providing a GPS tracking system to admins and parents.
- Parent app
The parent app enables parents to participate in school activities and keep track of their child’s performance in real-time. Through the parent app, they can look at the attendance status of their children. Moreover, they get exam reports on the app.
Advantages of the parent app
Getting exposure to children’s activities is possible through a parent app. The other advantages of using this app are:
- View attendance and reports: Parents can view detailed attendance reports on the app. Moreover, they get information on exam reports and get knowledge about how their children are performing in class.
- Stay connected with teachers: Parents can stay connected with teachers in real-time using the dedicated app. They can talk to school staff to understand the learning curve of their kids.
- Access to student analytics: Charts and graphs are ideal to understand complex numbers. The parent app presents the information in an interactive and easy-to-understand way. Parents can delve deeper into children’s learning process by viewing their performance reports.
- Insight into school activities: As parents have the option to stay connected with teachers in real-time, they get insights into school activities.
- Exam management
Exams are crucial for every educational organization, and therefore, an exam planner is required to carry out this task effortlessly. Admins can schedule the formative and summative assessments at a time using this software. The exam management system of the ERP software is vital for educational institutions as it provides the following benefits.
Advantages of exam planner
The significant benefits of using an exam planner are given below.
- Increased productivity: An exam planner enhances the productivity of both teachers and students. When both these stakeholders are aware of the exam schedule in advance, they can prepare better.
- Understanding of all chapters: Students get the time to go through the content and develop a better understanding of all the chapters. Moreover, teachers can also understand their pain points and help in exam preparation.
- Preparation time: Students and teachers can complete the syllabus on time and still have ample time for exam preparation. Students can utilize their time to score better on different assessment tests.
- Proper planning: Having prior information is always beneficial. Teachers and students can plan the classroom sessions according to the exam schedule. Moreover, having prior knowledge of the exam schedule will give them enough time to revise the concepts thoroughly.
Managing exams is vital for school admins as academic records are one of the parameters that influence student enrollment. Therefore, schools should provide prior information to students and teachers regarding the exam schedules. Having this information will help them prepare better.
- Admission management
Every educational institution works hard to enhance enrollment rates. However, managing the entire admission process single-handedly is cumbersome. But with the help of an admission management system, institutes can manage their admission processes effortlessly.
Advantages of an admission management system
- Better enrollment rates: An admission management system enhances the enrollment rates in schools and colleges. As it streamlines the entire admission process, admission counselors can reach out to more students during the admission season.
- Uniform and centralized admission: Many institutes have multiple branches at different locations. A centralized admission management system can be accessed by admins and students from anywhere.
- Error-free admission process: The traditional system of admission may lead to errors in the admission process. However, the risk of faulty records can be minimized through admission management software.
The above-mentioned are the must-have modules in a school ERP software. With these modules, schools can simplify the processes and provide an enriching experience to all stakeholders.
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