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What is Online School Management System? Some key features you must know

March 7, 2018

Some online school management system features and functions you must know

You wake up to the buzz of the alarm from your phone, check for news, before figuring out the best route to your destination using Google Maps. You stay connected with friends and family through messaging services and when you get home, you wind down by watching your favorite show thanks to your chosen streaming video service provider. It’s undeniable that technology is now seamlessly integrated into the fabric of our lives.

The target market for most technologies is younger people. These are early adopters who intuitively understand and use technology in new and imaginative ways every day. So why should it be any different at school?

The use of email and messaging groups are par for the course and we have alumni events being organized on Facebook – the connectivity promises we’ll always stay in touch. So why do so many high tech schools with high tech students still seem to rely on an archaic way of doing things? Isn’t there a solution that would replace these outmoded processes?

What is online school management system?

Simply answered – yes. Online school management software is the solution to a lot the issues arising from outdated processes and functions that plague today’s educational institutions. But what is online school management software? Simply put, it is a piece of educational technology that helps you automate everything in your college or school. Think of it is an all-in-one administrative assistant, finance department, record keeper, data analyst and report writer for all your needs. It is your most capable companion in running your educational needs and a handy resource in your day to day decision making.

These might seem like a tall order, but the robust nature of a flexible online school management software, like Fedena, will be able to do all this and more. It will soon become an inextricable part of your educational journey.

Who is online school management system built for?

It might seem like online school management system is a boon for school management and administration. But its uses are not limited to an audience of one! Teachers, students, and parents are all stakeholders that benefit from this piece of education technology. The effects of a well-run school are bound to extend to the very people who keep it going. Online school management software is not just a tool handy for non-education staff but has features that directly benefit those more directly involved with the teaching side of things.

How? Read on to learn more about some key features of the online school management system software and how they make everyone’s life easier.

Recap: Why school management system software is the most trending thing in education industry?

What are some online school management system software features to watch out for?

Will every online school management software brings its own strengths and challenges to the table, there are some key features your pick should have? At the very basic level, your online school management software must offer an easy-to-use interface, robust system to take on the challenge of running an educational system, and the flexibility to adapt to changing needs.

Some other key features to look out for are elaborated on below:

School management features:

At the very outset, your online school management software must be able to comprehensively handle your educational institution’s processes. This involves everything, from admissions to transfer or leaving certificates issues to students graduating from the school. An online school management software like Fedena will be able to automate processes like timetables,
transport, admissions processing, onboarding of new students, scheduling of classes, attendance, school events, calendaring, and so on. This is the very basic thing you must expect from your online school management software.

Parent-teacher collaboration:

It takes a village to raise a child, the maxim goes, and the case is no different in school. It is not the sole responsibility of a teacher to educate a child – parental support plays a huge role. So how do we make sure these two important stakeholders are on the same page? Through easy and consistent collaboration. And how do we make this possible? Through your online school
management software, that allows for one on one communication, remote monitoring of the child, easily accessed logins for parents to monitor teacher feedback on class assignments and exams, dashboards that announce school alerts, etc.

Fee management and online payments:

One of the most time consuming and headache inducing factors of running an educational institution are fee management. But your online school management software can reduce this burden on staff! With highly robust, yet flexible backends, fee management systems can be easily set up to suit every student’s needs. Build custom fee bands that take into account individual deductions, fees, fines, and scholarships awarded to students. Help parents pay swiftly and easily with online payment processing from any device. Finally, generate a fee receipt of the records swiftly within the same online school management software.

Gradebooks and reports:

Goal oriented and personalized teaching has increasingly been found to more effective for students than anything else. A huge factor in this is a continual assessment to keep track of student progress. With online gradebooks and one-on-one feedback made possible by your online school management software, parents and teachers can easily keep track of their scholars’ progress at school. This helps course-correct in real time, watch out for budding problems, and address issues in a timely fashion – all to help students achieve their educational goals!

Timetable, attendance, and scheduling:

Good results arise from good preparation. Keeping track of student attendance, scheduling classes and having an easily accessed timetable is key to ensuring students remain well-organized and on track. Your online school management software will help with all these tasks, allowing your student to keep their eye on the prize.

Online examinations and assignments:

Exams are a necessary metric that helps students evaluate how well they have realized their learning goals at regular goals. But why add to the stress of an already tension inducing event? Easily accessed from any device, timely grading, and private communication of feedback through your online school management software is key to encouraging students to see exams as a tool to help them improve.

Top 5 hacks to skyrocket your institute’s productivity

March 5, 2018

Productivity is not just the art of doing things in the fastest way possible, but it also entails doing things in the most efficient manner to get the best results

This essential skill is the need of the hour for school, colleges, and other educational institutes. This is because schools need to put in additional efforts to increase their proficiency and fulfill the needs of various departments. They need to ensure that the educational institution is functioning efficiently. Schools today, face a constant demand for data, which needs to be immediate and accurate. In the midst of this, it is often easy for a school to find itself distracted by constant administrative pressure and lose their focus on teaching students productively.

Let’s look at a few easy hacks that will help you boost the productivity of your institute:

Advance Lesson Planning

Productivity is often synonymous with preparation and schools can encourage their teachers to prepare lesson plans in advance, so that they do not have to struggle in class with what part of the course needs their attention.

Using a school course management software or an eLearning software, teachers can easily upload their course content online as a guide to help the teachers stick to the lesson plan and achieve maximum productivity in the classroom

Eliminate Manual Record Keeping

The use of a school management system has made manual work such as managing student attendance, sports records, contact details not only much easier, but it also ensures that the security of data is maintained at all times. Additionally, work such as responding to emails, managing admission queries become a lot easier – thus effectively saving time boosting productivity

Assess your students in the classroom

Instead of taking assignments home and assessing the students post-school hours, teachers can opt for online quizzes and tests that assess the students in real time. Using an online school management software helps the teachers to assess students without waiting and give them the help before it is too late. This also enables students to see their subject comprehension faster and get more time for improvement

Enable discussion boards

Even as the teacher is at the helm of the classroom, having an online discussion board will enable students to resolve each other’s queries instead of constantly addressing them to the teacher. This will not only create a more productive class environment, but it will also empower the students to be more independent and resourceful

Flip the classroom for increased productivity

The Flipped Class model is a highly successful teaching model that uses eLearning platform to reverse classroom events. A great productivity tool, the flipped classroom allows students to watch or listen to the lectures at home and use the time in the classroom to do clarify their doubts. The time is class is then highly a highly productive way to enhance classroom learning

The use of technology in the classroom is a great way to engage the students as well as to keep the institute highly productive. As we hurtle towards a completely digital era, one of the best ways to ensure highly productive and efficient educational institutes is through the use of various online learning platform.

Top 6 benefits of student management system

February 23, 2018February 28, 2018

The first significant advantage of a student management system is that as a school you are able to keep proper track of data related to students. This includes areas such as fees being paid by students, examination records of the students, transport facilities being provided by the school and availed by the students, and usage of libraries and other school facilities by the students. As a school, you can access all this data and more by using a unique identification number that you have provided to a student. In fact, apart from management people like you, students can use these systems in order to keep track of their dues as well as class schedules.

With the help of this system no longer would your admin guys need to type in all the data of the students as well as others in the school on excel sheets for long hours! It can all now be organized in a format that happens to be simple and accessible to one and all. This also means that you would be able to access data within a few seconds, something that would not have been possible without such a system in place.

Better performance by the students

When you have a good student information system in the school it helps the students perform to their fullest potential. You may be wondering how! Well, the answer is simple. Such a system lets the students focus solely on their primary responsibility in life – studying. No longer do they need to come to you – the management or the administration of the school – for their records or any other thing that may bother them. This means they have all the time that they need in order to work on areas where work needs to be done.

This, in turn, helps them achieve them a lot more than what would have happened otherwise.

Simplifying and streamlining all the tasks

In most of the cases, a student tracking system comes equipped with dashboards, which makes it easier for you to track what work has already been done and by whom, and what work needs to be done and by whom. The best part of all this is that you get all the necessary information on a single screen, which helps you get the best possible view.

These systems also work in such an intuitive way that all your important work is properly highlighted. This improves your productivity much better than what you could have imagined. This also means that you are able to grow as an organization with very little effort.

Better communication

It is unrealistic to assume that every student would have the similar interaction level in a classroom. No matter how friendly the atmosphere in your school is there would always be some students who would hold back for some reason or the other. This is where a student online system can come in so handy by helping up the doors of communication between one and all.

There are so many reasons as to why a student might feel hesitant to ask those questions in a class. One of them could be because there is not enough time in the class. They may also be apprehensive because they fear that their classmates may make fun of them. The beauty of the school management systems these days is that you have discussion panels built into the software itself. It is on platforms such as these that the students can ask as many questions as they want to and clear all the doubts that they have.

Quite often these systems have alumni tabs as well, where the students can stay in touch with their seniors who have left the school and get valuable help from them in educational matters. These people are ones who have already been there and done that, and as such their experience – both of the school as well as of the world outside – can prove to be of major help for these students.

Easy access to all

One of the major benefits of the school management systems these days is that they can be accessed by one and all and that too with a great degree of convenience!

Apart from students and members of the management these systems can also be accessed by people such as teachers and parents. In fact, all the members of staff in your school can access these systems as well. With the help of these systems, teachers will be able to manage their classes a lot better than what they may have done otherwise. They will also be able to track the attendance of the students as well as the assignments they have provided to them. In fact, they can keep track of any other task that they may have allotted to the students as well.

These systems are beneficial for the parents as well as they are able to keep track of all that their children are doing in the school. Once again, this is possible because these systems provide all the critical information on a single platform. The bottom line is that with the help of these systems you would be in a far better position to organize the goings on in your school and at the same time you would also be able to pay attention to where it is due.

Managing the timetables

As has been said already, with the help of a school management system you are in a much better position when it comes to operational aspects of your existence as an educational institution. One of them is managing the timetables of your school. Normally, if you asked your admin team it would tell you for sure that this is one job that takes up a lot of its time that could have been better devoted to other more fruitful activities. When you have the timetable management feature of this software you are able to schedule classes and other work automatically, without any problem whatsoever.

The entire work can be done in an interactive way and this is the best thing about it all. It would not even matter if a few of your employees happen to be absent because these systems are capable of coping with such issues even on an emergency basis. Such a system can make managing substitutions a lot easier than what would have happened without it.

Complete tracking of the students

One of the major benefits of these systems is that you are able to track each and everything being done by your students. This includes performance in areas such as sports and other extracurricular activities. In this day and age, where there is such great emphasis on helping students realize their true potential in life instead of toting out clones, this is a great feature to have.

Advantages with related to operations

When you have high quality and updated software such as these it is easier as a school to reduce your expenses and increase your efficiency at the same time. There are so many benefits of being able to maintain various services at really low cost, reducing the number of people employed to manage the school, automating the entire operation of the school, etc. This means that as an educational institution you get a lot of freedom.

You can use such freedom to focus on the tasks that are a lot more important for your growth and continued existence in the days ahead. In fact, these systems are ideal for schools that have several campuses. It allows them to manage the different campuses at a fraction of the cost of what they would have had to pay otherwise. With the help of these systems, students are also able to keep track of things such as attendance of teachers as well as other employees of the school. The thing with these systems is that they can generate history on a monthly basis.

Thanks to such a helpful feature it becomes easier for one and all to figure out how many leaves they have taken in a certain period. So such a system would benefit you as well. The best part of these systems is that you would be able to access them from the school’s intranet as well as any other publicly used internet. These systems can also help with other important work such as online registration, following up on various tasks, and admission. Apart from that, you can customize them according to your needs or preferences as well.

The Role of a School Management System in K-12 Education

February 14, 2018March 7, 2018

Every student benefits from the right school management system

Education has been imparted for generations now. From the time of Plato in ancient Greece passing down his teachings to a select group of scholars worthy of such knowledge to the more equitable access to education we aim for today, education continues to grow and change to be more inclusive in order to improve lives.

There have been many milestones in the growth of education. We have moved from an oral tradition to textbooks and from teaching being the privilege of certain communities to seeing it as a tool of social mobilization. But one of the key milestones in the history of education has been the introduction of modern technology to the field.

The introduction of technology has revolutionized education and that has given birth to new modes of education. One of these new methods is the way change in how education is imparted for students from kindergarten to 12th grade or standard. Commonly known as K-12 education, this is an educational concept that is widely gaining in popularity in countries like United States of America, Canada, and India as well, amongst other countries. This kind of educational system is different from the conventional method of teaching and involves an increased focus on communication between teachers and their students in comparison to conventional methodologies. Read on and find out more on the K-12 education system and its presence in India.

The K-12 education is the term used to denote the education imparted in the primary and secondary phases of school life, including K or kindergarten to 12 which stands for the 12th standard or grade. As the name denotes, this particular system covers the education from kindergarten till the 12th standard or grade. This education methodology is slowly gaining increasing importance in India, with the government introducing new educational schemes like free compulsory primary education throughout the country.

K-12 education system includes a higher degree of focus on a teacher to student interactions, with the teacher encouraging question-answer sessions, assignments that would promote interesting learning habits in students, and overall increased engagement in learning from the student. It is not enough to depend on rote learning in such a system.

Another key characteristic of the K-12 education system is the focus on Individual attention. As expected, this method of teaching is highly beneficial to students as it lets them develop at their own pace. Learning to learn and having a deeper understanding of their own capabilities is another happy outcome to this educational methodology. The role of the teacher here to be a
guiding star in the student’s success.

Another main characteristic that sets this system apart from its conventional counterpart is how students are encouraged to think independently. How is this done? Instead of a typical classroom task involving students preparing and submitting assignments, they are also encouraged to add value to their task by sharing their personal views and ideas on the subject at hand. This teaches students to think more deeply about the classroom readings, seek extra resources, and consider how the subject they are learning about is of use to them in their life. It contextualizes learning leading to deeper absorption of new material and better recall.

A secondary outcome of this point is the natural reliance on peer learning. Studies show us that students who are encouraged to question learning material and share their perspectives tend to also participate in various group discussions via clubs and forums, where they exchange ideas and views with their peers. A healthy debate leads to robust arguments forming an approach to thinking that relies on highly dexterous mental agility – an outcome that cannot be taught directly but must be learned early on in life.

The introduction and rising popularity of the K-12 education system in India itself stands witness to the reformed education system in the country. The mode of teaching, as well as the content and resources, have changed to a great extent to facilitate more involvement of students. Schools nowadays, invest a good amount to create the best infrastructures for their students. Students, on their part, must grab the best of these facilities and available resources offered for the optimum learning. This kind of platform is what the K-12 education system promotes and this is what more and more schools in India are adopting to.

A key kind of investment is the increased reliance on school management systems. All the features described above are facilitated by a robust school management system like Fedena.

Don’t believe us – try it out for yourself for the next two weeks and experience the difference it makes in your classroom.

Still not convinced?

Read on to find out how the Fedena school management system can make the K-12 education methodology a natural fit for your school:

With its in-built messaging and communication system, the Fedena school management system allows teachers to solidify the teacher-student communication aspect of the K-12 education system. Instant, easy, private and personalized attention means a better relationship between these two stakeholders.

This school management system can also help with helping students learn better. Fedena allows teachers to make dynamic classroom material – from texts to videos, to news items – easily accessible from one single window. This means better research and increased curiosity on the part of the students.

Finally, peer discussions are made easier with a school management system. Fedena, for instance, allows groups to created focused on the subject matter of interest for classrooms big and small, for them to monitored by teachers, and for students to communicate with each other without the restrictions of time, physical presence, or geography.

Ultimately, the right school management system helps eliminates barriers to receiving an education, no matter what your concerns. Time to go limitless yet?

If creating individuals is what the main aim of the present day education system is all about, then the K-12 must be adopted. Increased teacher-student harmony and more self-reliant, independent individuals who can create a difference, not just for the school, but for society is what this new educational revolution offers.

Reasons why school ERP software implementation fails

February 9, 2018February 9, 2018

Quite often we see that ERP (enterprise resource planning) fails in schools and colleges. Now, the question that comes up in this regard is why it happens. There are plenty of instances where we have seen the same school ERP software performing brilliantly in one educational institution and not doing so well in another.

What can be the reasons in this case? Let us try and find out.

The lack of clarity with regards to objectives

In most cases where institutions fail to implement ERP properly, it is seen that they do not have any proper goal behind its usage. When as an educational institution you do not have a sure and clear definition of what you expect by way of success then you should not expect to be successful at all.

It is very important that you have a clear idea of the problems that you are looking to target by implementing the software in question. You should know the financial benefits that you expect from the same. If you do not have all these goals set out clearly you can only expect the results to be vague. This is the reason why you need to be really clear about these things at the very first stage of implementing the ERP itself.

You should not be suffering from any dilemma regarding whether your institution needs the ERP software or not. This should be solved even before you have bought the product itself, let alone implementing it. It is also very important that you have a clear idea of the time within which you wish to see results. If you do not have a proper target on hand the end aim just becomes a moving one and that is not really a great thing necessarily.

Not training the users properly enough

If you wish your ERP implementation to be successful you need to train the guys that are going to handle all the processes properly enough. There can be no two ways about that one for sure. This is even more applicable in cases where you have people who have not handled a whole lot of technology in their lives.

Normally, when you implement these things in a short span of time such gaps in training are created. You should take sufficient time in training your staff as far as handling school ERP software is concerned. You need to understand the simple fact that no matter what ERP system you use it is always going to automate most, if not all, of the work that you do and this, is going to have a significant effect on the departments as well. You need to understand that you cannot provide the same training to all the people out there.

The training needs to be tailored according to the department, which is receiving the training. The amount of time devoted to it should also be adequate and if possible you should include all the people in your school. If your end users do not know how to use the system then it will never be implemented in an optimal way.

Treating it as a cost and not an investment

Quite often schools treat ERP system as a cost instead of thinking it as the worthy investment that it truly is. In most cases, schools do not realize the simple fact the ERP software that they are implementing now would yield rich dividends down the line. It will only accrue them profits. Instead of that, they look to minimize their costs and for that, they look for the lowest quotes on offer. This way, they end up choosing a service provider who is not always up to the scratch and their ERP implementation fails as a result.

Managing the changes

In some cases, schools fail to implement ERP software properly for the simple reason that they are not able to manage the changes that happen because of it. Whenever a new system is implemented in a school, there are always going to be some changes or the other. The intelligent thing to do in this regard would be to adapt to the changes but that does not happen always. In most of the cases, people are busy finding faults with the new system and stating how much better the older system was.

As a school, you have decided to upgrade the system and as such, it is very important to hold up your end of the bargain. You need to adapt yourself so that you can get the optimal result that you are looking for.

Managing the project poorly

As a school, you would also fail to implement school ERP system properly if you are unable to manage the overall project the way it needs to be done. It is true that this is always easier said than done but still this is something that needs to be done in order for the ERP implementation to be a successful one.

It is for this purpose that you need a proper leader as well as team manager who will look after the entire process of implementation as such. She or he could work on important areas such as determining the schedule of implementation as well as making sure that proper communication takes place between all the people concerned.

Lack of accurate data

When as a school you are trying to implement an educational software in your institution it is important that you have proper data to back it up.

If the new ERP system is implemented in your school is not fed the right sort of information then it would never really be a credible enough solution for the end users of the same.

Glossing over technical issues

There are so many problems that a school ERP system could face as far as implementation is concerned. There could be issues with the hardware; the interface could have problems with the ways and processes that are being employed in order to manage the school in question; in fact, the software could be bugged as well.

No matter what it is, these issues can always put paid to your aim of implementing a school ERP system properly enough. As a school, you would only be overlooking them at your peril.

Some other reasons for failure

Quite often ERP implementation fails for the simple reason that it is being done in the first place. In cases such as these the schools themselves are in a fix as to whether they need to implement such a system or not. Schools become unhappy with the way their systems are working and this includes problems in areas such as reporting, efficiency, and integration to name a few. They are absolutely convinced that the problem lies with the software that they are using for operational purposes.

They then try and implement an ERP system that costly and too risky and big given the scale that they are operating in. Maybe, all they need is a simple tune-up of the system that they are using to run their operations. The problem is that the schools do not realize that. At times, they might be better off with a few add-ons here and there but they just want to overhaul their systems and radically so. It may be that they just need to improve the reporting system or change the employee portal.

The best thing about these small changes, apart from the fact that they solve your problems, is that they can be done at very little cost, which is such a crucial factor for the smaller schools that are more often than not struggling from a financial point of view. At times, the problem could also be solved by just re-implementing the same system rather than using a new system from the scratch.

Here we have a guide for you which shows that how can you choose the right school ERP software for your institution.

Conclusion

You need to keep in mind a simple thing – implementing ERP can be a major challenge. It is something that takes a long time to be implemented properly and hence you need to be extremely patient in the way that you go about it. It is very important that the steps you take in order to implement the system are carried out in the right way. If you are able to do the entire thing in a timely manner, including dealing with the issues, then there is no reason why ERP cannot be implemented successfully.

How has school management software changed learning?

January 29, 2018

Education has evolved thanks to school management software

On the Fedena blog, we regularly look at how school management software fits in with our new world. We have previously discussed how this technology will be used in 2018, used in times of crisis, and even used to teach different types of students. We have started to witness the far-reaching effects of what was viewed as a simple administrative tool – your school management system.

Education technology, like school management software, is slowly becoming a necessity. While simple pen and paper might never die out with loyalists, old school techniques are being thrown out for the new every day. One cannot deny the convenience of a smartboard over your blackboard, even if the latter does have its charms.

But what about the role of education technology in shaping new ways of learning. How has the advent of school management software changed learning environments, learning equipment, or more simply, learning itself for every stakeholder in the system?

Here are some changes we have noticed:

Dynamic Learning Material

Since the introduction of school management systems, we are seeing a change in the kind of material students learn from. Educators are increasingly able to work with more engaging content – from videos to games, to music.

These dynamic materials are more interesting to young students leading to higher engagement with the coursework. Research shows us that most
people are visual learners. Being able to rely on dynamic, visually engaging content can result in better learning outcomes. Still doubtful? Next time you have a difficult Physics concept to explain, use any of the plethoras of YouTube videos out there that explain it more visually and see the difference for yourself.

Extended Accessibility

We are seeing an increasing spike in the use of modern learning tools but the sad reality of the situation is that, even now, in 2018, we see young people with no access to an education. This is due to a multitude of factors, but most commonly, it is due to a lack of funding or access.

Your school management system is a possible solution to these issues. Being able to remotely access learning materials and one-on-one guidance just through your mobile phone or computer is step one to bridging the gap between the haves and the have-nots.

Improved Administration

There is no denying that education has become a more strategic endeavor. A by-product of this increasingly planned out approach is the growing use of educational technology of is a near immediate boost in efficiency. Your school management system was built to improve and automate processes in your educational institution.

This is especially the case if they are time and labor intensive; associated costs are automatically reduced. It also means a better experience for the end user – the students and parents. Instead of tangling with bureaucracy every time they need to make a fee payment or check their course schedule, these
stakeholders can do what they need seamlessly, from anywhere, on any platform, and at any time.

Increased Collaboration

School management systems inherently encourage better communication between all the stakeholders – teachers, students, parents, and non-education staff – who are working on giving a child the best possible start in their life.

This results in better collaboration between parties, leaving each of them to do what they do best – their key job responsibilities. It also results in better peer learning or blended learning – students are able to work in groups even remotely, learn from each other, create online study groups, and communicate directly with their teacher in real time to troubleshoot and problem solve.

Selecting School Management Software for 2018?

January 24, 2018March 6, 2018

8 Questions You Must Ask Before Making a Decision

Deloitte’s Bersin has forecast that in 2018 that money spent on school management systems (SMS) by schools would increase by 21 percent in 2018. The aggregate budget expected in this domain is supposed to be in the region of 2.5 billion dollars. In fact, in the last couple of years – 2016 and 2017 – the money spent for SMS has increased by 52 percent. All these are whopping figures when you come to think of them. This also means that the market for SMS or ERP (enterprise resource planning) software for schools and colleges is much stronger than the years gone by.

All this means that choosing the right product for your school is a much trickier business than what it used to be. It is well-known that there is no single software that is going to answer all the questions that you may have. This is the reason why, at the very least, you need to find software that would solve most of the problems that you have and that too at a price that is good enough for you.

The problem with this scenario is that there are plenty of school software products on the market and this is the reason why it is so tough to choose one from them. You need to be able to decide the one that is right for your school.

Following are a few questions, answers to which would help you find the best possible solution for your school.

What are the features of the software? Will they work for you?

When you are attempting to select a school management software in 2018 the first thing that you need to ask yourself as a school, is regarding the best features of the software that you are looking to buy. What are the best features of the new software? What kind of functions is it capable of performing?

Would it suit what you need from school management software?

This would make sure that you do not end up buying something that you don’t need and, worse still, get stuck with it for a long time just because you do not have the money to buy a new one that is more commensurate to your needs.

For this purpose, you need to compare the basic features of your new product and compare them with others of your like. You should never pay for something that you do not need.

Can you get access to various platforms through mobile with the new software?

You need to make sure that the new online school management software, which you buy, should be able to provide you the capability to access data in a short span of time. This should include the all-important reports as well.

Best of all, you should be able to do this through mobile devices such as iPhone and Android phones. This way, you would be able to make decisions and that too while you are on the move. Ideally, the mobile applications should have inherent capabilities to get push notifications, track locations, receive alerts and reminders, and get data on a real-time basis.

Can it be customized?

Ideally, the school data management software that you choose should be good enough to be changed as per your requirements. The major question that you could ask over here is can the new system be changed with respect to each and every school and its needs.

Ideally, you should never get stuck with a product that cannot be customized or changed to work according to your needs and requirements. Each school out there is a unique proposition in its own sweet way. Can the simple things such as product design or theme be changed as per the requirements of the school? Can the school sort and then place the menus as per how they are going to be used?

Can it be scaled?

You also need to be sure that the management software for schools that you are using can be scaled – ideally, it should be able to adapt itself to the needs of your organization that is always going to increase on a regular basis.

It should also have a certain degree of compatibility and it should have the ability to deal competently with a lot of users, and that too at the same time. Apart from handling a large amount of inbound traffic as schools usually do, it should help you attain a certain level of growth at an organizational level as well.

Can the application be hosted on Cloud?

The work that you do by using your online school system should be capable of being hosted on Cloud.

Ideally, this should be applicable to all the work that you do with this particular software. This way, you would be able to reduce the additional costs needed to manage and operate hardware that is expensive as it is. At the same time, you would also not need to hire extra professionals for handling your information technology (IT) work. This would also mean that the data is safe and properly backed up.

Is it safe?

You may have all the features that you need from your school management software and if it is not safe then it would have come to naught.

As an organization, you need to be totally sure that your data is safe before you buy it as such. There should be built-in security features in the software itself. It would make sure that all your valuable information is properly protected.

Can it be implemented easily and quickly enough?

As an educational institute, it would always be better if you are able to implement it without any problem whatsoever and that too within the shortest of time spans. Ideally, your operations should not get bogged down just because you are implementing new software.

You can be sure that the longer and harder it takes you to implement the new software the more money it is going to end up costing you. In this case, you should also look at the track record of the software in question. How hard or easy has it been for other schools, especially ones that are similar to you, to implement this particular product? How long or short has it taken them? Facts such as these are what you should be aware of when you look to buy school management software.

Will it be accommodated in your budget?

This is perhaps the most underrated and yet the most important question of all the ones that have been posted in this piece so far. Whenever you decide to buy new software you need to be aware of the money that you would have to spend to buy it and the costs that it would incur. Will the new software fit into your budget? Does it have sufficient features as per your estimate for the price that it is asking? Are the plans that you have right now not flexible enough to the way your school is working?

At times, especially so with the better products, you may be paying a price that is more than what you wish you could pay but then the returns on investment that you get from such software would more than makeup for the money you parted with to buy that software. No matter what, you must be aware of the return that you are getting from your investment in that particular software.

Some other considerations to be taken into account

Apart from this, you also need to be aware of your audience. As a school, you need to have a clear idea of whom you are buying a product and how it is going to be of benefit for them. You need to be properly aware of the needs of the intended beneficiaries of this software.

At times, you may need to use some different features such as asset and payroll management. These facilities may not necessarily be there in the educational software that you are thinking of buying at the moment. When you know who all are going to use this software and what their needs are then you would also make a better buying decision.

You also figure out if you would be able to work with the service provider in question or not. It is very important to be able to communicate properly with your software partner and understand it completely.

teacher computer student management system fedena

How school management system helps institutes in 2018?

January 22, 2018March 7, 2018

2018 is a new year for the world of education not just in the literal sense of the term but from the point of view of trends that are going to be a prominent part of the industry this year as well. It is true that you have to mandatorily mark the fact that a new year has started again. There is nothing really that can be done in this regard. However, you may also need to interpret it as a fresh opportunity that allows you to consider what happened in the year that just ended and then takes the lessons from it to get ready for the year to come.

Is education any different?

It is not as if education is any different. The way people learn has always been changing and thanks to the introduction and greater usage of software such as school management system this is only going to happen at a heightened rate in the year ahead. A lot of credit in this case also needs to be given to the way that the world around us is changing – a lot of new research is happening as well in the domain of education and this is the reason why each day people are learning something new or the other.

These changes are also having an effect on the way that the world around us is being perceived by us and this, in turn, is affecting the way we are dealing with the same.

Being updated in the proper sense of it

It is highly possible that your school is using technology and that too the latest tools and devices in this regard. However, that may not be enough. It is very important that systems such as online school management software are used and that too in the proper sense of it.

It may be that your school is operating within certain financial constraints. In that case, you need to be able to maximize the best of the systems that are already in place and this is where these systems can play such an important role by making it all very easy for you. Even if you are using a school management system care needs to be taken that it does not become outdated even as 2018 wades into 2019. Trends are always changing and it is imperative that the systems are able to keep up with them.

Being smart

It is just that schools need to come up with ways that represent a smarter usage of school data management software. This is why it would be unproductive to deal with just what happened in 2017 – the issues that they faced. Apart from coming up with viable solutions, it is also important to have a clear idea of what might happen in 2018. You need to have a clear idea of the trends that you can expect in the domain of education and idea of whether your school management system would be equipped to deal with said challenges or not.

You need to have a clear idea of the items that should be on watch-list come 2018. This would make sure that you are ready for this year. It is common knowledge that when you are informed you are in a better position with regards to preparation.

The role to be played by augmented reality

As far as management software for schools is concerned augmented reality is going to play a major role in 2018. It is a mistake to assume that virtual reality can only be applied to horror flicks and games.

This has real-world applications as well. There is a great likelihood that in 2018 this immersive technology would become a tool for learning and would be used quite often as well. The major reason for such a statement is the fact that virtual reality is capable of providing you a feel of the real world, as the name would suggest. It also helps that this can be done at a pittance compared to expenses such as an air ticket. With the help of this software, you would be able to walk through ruins of ancient civilizations, visit new countries or parts of the world, or get to another planet and spend a day over there.

The applications are just endless. If you can use virtual reality as part of the school management system that you are using already then it would only help all the stakeholders and the experience would be a lot better for one and all as well. This way, you would also be able to get in touch with a bigger classroom than what would have been possible otherwise. In fact, this way you could jolly well teach students from various parts of the world at the same time.

Dealing with costs of education

It is not as if each and every new trend in education in 2018 would be a good one. Just like every other thing in life, education is going to be a costlier affair in the new year as well. A big slice of this is going to be for expenses in areas such as land, operations on a daily basis, and various assets owned by the school. This is where a proper online school system can play such a major role. One also needs to take into account the immense amount of competition
between students.

These days, parents are rather particular about one thing – they want their children to do well in academics. They want to give their children the best education that their money can buy. Schools need to be able to deal effectively with such situations and still make sure that they are able to offer the highest possible quality of education. The beauty of school management
systems are that they are greatly able to reduce the financial burden placed on your school.

They can reduce a wide range of costs such as repetitive costs, labor costs, and administrative costs to name a few. This means that your school is able to run with similar or greater efficiency and reduce the stress being faced by the parents.

Learning wherever possible

A good school management system in 2018 would make it possible for students to learn any and everywhere they wish to. This would make education a lot more enjoyable – and thus fruitful – process for one and all connected to it. These days, social media is the greatest proof of the fact that one can learn anywhere and everywhere she or he chooses to. It is highly
possible that in the days ahead sites such as Facebook are used to live stream lectures by school teachers.

Already, YouTube has become a virtual goldmine of educational material on the internet. You may be asking what role your school management system can play in such a context. Well, if it can be equipped with the right kind of plug-ins it would be able to become the kind of secure website that students need to learn and learn always. They will be able to log on to their classrooms no matter where they are in the world. This will help them in so many ways.

This way, they would never need to miss out any lesson and they would be able to clarify their doubts instantly with the teachers as well. They may also watch a class as many times as they want to so that they can learn better. It is expected that in 2018 learning would become a social phenomenon and peer learning will be right there at the forefront of it all. Social learning has many advantages – it is perhaps the future as well – and as a school, you need to be able to make the most of these benefits.

A concluding note

Now how would you be able to achieve this? It is quite simple if you think of it. All you would need to do is to make sure that your systems are in readiness to flow with the ways that students are expected to learn in this day and age. It is also expected that in 2018 such software would be able to help you in some other ways such as tracking and analyzing the behavior of students, mobile applications, and database management by way of Cloud support and other similar tools. The possibilities are endless and the times ahead are exciting indeed.

How Technology Benefits Early Years Education

January 17, 2018

Generation Z children are being born into a world where relationships with technology are immediate and inevitable. For better or for worse, we are all exposed to technology every single day of our lives – whether in the home, at work, or in the classroom – and, on the whole, our lives are more convenient and better connected, so long as we respect the limits of the digital world.

As adults, the way we work, play, and learn has been directly impacted by the rapid evolution of technology, so why should our children’s lives be any different? Technology guidelines for children under the age of 5 make digital learning seem controversial, as something that should be minimized rather than optimized. However, with the online world becoming increasingly available to them, modern day youngsters are thinking differently, learning faster, and developing a keener understanding of global issues – so should technology in the classroom really be discouraged?

With workplaces becoming digitalized and the Internet playing a crucial role in social development, the time has come to consider how using technology in early years education could help to better the future of this generation.

Become a Child’s Best Teacher

The best way to teach your children about the benefits of technology is to educate yourself first. If you want your youngsters to enter the digital workforce when they’re older, start by maximizing your own career prospects using technology.

For instance, if the school you work for doesn’t have a Facebook or Twitter presence, learn the intricacies of social media and use this understanding to educate your kids. If your school’s web page isn’t collating enough traffic and interest, learn about increasing conversion rates for your website and how analytics can drive revenue. By grasping technology with both hands in both your personal and professional life, you will encourage the children of today to have an active, mindful, and responsible relationship
with the digital world during their early years and beyond.

Technology Helps Children to Read

The most important stage of a child’s development is between the ages of 2 and 5, and this is when almost all children start to grasp the basics of the language and understand a story arch. Online reading materials, E-books, and audiobooks provide an alternative route to reading for children who aren’t interested in board books or traditional stories, and an additional resource for keen readers.

What’s more, the claim that technology aids reading in young children is backed up by science. Researchers have found that devices such as smartphones and tablets can help children to connect what is concrete with what is abstract. For example, by using educational apps and games, a child will grasp a better understanding of how the physical appearance of a letter correlates with the phonetic sound than if it were taught to them in class.

Technology Helps Children Understand the World Around Them

From the earliest stages of development when babies begin to recognize their parents’ faces, visuals help children learn about the world around them. By taking digital photos, creating online photo galleries, and allowing your child to view appropriate images online, you are helping to further their knowledge and understanding. There are also a number of apps and games for visually impaired children that teach communication, demonstrate cause and effect, tell stories, and encourage relaxation.

For any college and school to prosper, they need to educate themselves on technology and how to properly implement it into their business processes. The children of today are tech-savvy, and so teachers and a school’s management staff need to keep up; to do so, learn how technology can help your school as if it were a business and the benefits of digitalizing your educational sector.

Republic Day speeches for school students

January 15, 2018

“Our great republic is a government of laws and not of men. Here, the people rule”

To start with, team Fedena would like to wish you a very happy 69th Republic Day. Also known as “Gantantra Divas”, this day is very special for every Indian citizen. It is often celebrated with colorfully organized culture events held across the country. The streets hum with patriotic songs, and a brotherly spirit is found in every heart as they share in the celebrations with sweets and music. To pay tribute to our freedom fighters, Prime Minister lays a wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at the India Gate, which is then followed by the main function at Red Fort in New Delhi. The PM unfurls the national flag and gives a motivational speech, which is immediately succeeded by the national anthem sung by millions of people both present at the parades and at their homes. The parades are often performed by the army, navy, and airforce where they display the latest technologies and advancements. The schools and various states show their cultural diversity by displaying various tableaus.

In schools and colleges, students celebrate this day with teachers and their classmates. Even though this day is a gazetted holiday, the schools remain open in celebration. Students celebrate this by singing the national anthem and performing various cultural events. To enlighten the students about our nation’s history, school conduct various competitions such as debates, essay writing, patriotic poetry, songs and dance competitions focused on Republic Day.

To be a part of the celebrations, we wanted to add our take on the speeches about this momentous day. The speeches are a reflection of our nation’s history and the diversity which identifies our country as a unique republic.

Speech 1: Republic day history

“First of all, I would like to greet our respected Principal, our respected teachers, and my fellow classmates with a very good morning. We are gathered here to celebrate an auspicious occasion of our nation, the 69th Republic Day. I’d like to take this opportunity to greet all of you a very Happy Republic Day. I’m delighted to have the privilege to share a glimpse on the history of the Republic day of our glorious nation.

After achieving the independence from the British rule on 15 August 1947, India though didn’t have a permanent constitution, all the law were based on modified colonial Government of India Act 1935. But on 28 August 1947, the Drafting Committee was appointed to draft a permanent constitution, with the help of Dr. B R Ambedkar. After many modifications to the constitution, the final draft was signed by 308 members of assembly on 24 January 1950. Two days later, it came into effect throughout the nation.

On 26 January 1950, the new Constitution Of India came into effect and India became a republic nation. A democratic republic nation, which was not ruled by any hereditary King or Queen, and the government elected by the common people of the country. The constitution also encouraged all the citizens to have equal social and economic rights.

So let’s gather together on this joyous and momentous day, and take an oath to always maintain the sovereignty, which our country has achieved with priceless sacrifices and promise ourselves to make our nation celebrated through the world. With these humble words, I bow my head to the flag, and to every one of you I say Jai Hind, Jai Bharat”.

Speech 2: Why it is important to be republic

“A very good morning to our respected Principal Sir/Madam, respected teachers, and all of my classmates. First of all, I would like to thanks my class-teacher who gave me this opportunity to recite some of my thoughts on the 69th Republic Day of India. The Republic day is one of the most patriotic days for all the Indian citizens since on this day India was declared secular, sovereign and a democratic country. But what does republic actually mean?

It means that all the decisions are made by the representatives who were elected by the citizens of the nation, instead of elected by a hereditary monarchy. The decisions are in accordance with the laws of the constitution, declared on the day when the country became republic.

But why it is important that a country should be a republic? It matters because it impacts the political culture, helps in balancing the power among government, parliament and the ordinary people. Ordinary citizens would be able to participate in the process of choosing the head of states and the country.

Along with that, all citizens enjoy the fundamental rights such as right to equality, right to freedom, right to freedom of religion, cultural and education right, right to privacy, right to constitutional remedies and right against exploitation.

All these rights not only render protection to common people but also prevent the human rights and make the life of the people peaceful and harmonious.

I hope this information was enlightening and empowers you to be proud of being an Indian. Finally, i would like to wish you all very Happy Republic Day. Jai Hind Jai Bharat”

Why institutes considered underrated if they won’t use school management software?

January 5, 2018

Institutes such as schools form an important part of our society. It is the schools upon whom the onus of helping the next generation rests. It is the schools that create and develop the students in such a way that they are able to contribute better to the society. They help the students grow in the truest sense of the word by helping them develop various new skills, nurturing them in such a way that they grow up to be confident individuals, and by imparting knowledge. This is the reason why it is highly vital that an institution has all the tools it needs to fulfill its role properly enough.

Manual management of routine

A school can always manage its routine in a manual way but that is always going to throw up more issues than solutions. As such, it can be a really arduous task for the management of a school. If a school does not use the latest technology of the day then there is every chance and more than the administrators of a school, as well as others related to a school, are going to face a real tough time of it. For starters, they would never be able to achieve their goals in the time that they want to.

This way, they would start to fall behind others of their ilk and this way they would start losing out on the better students as well. It would also hurt the students that are being taught by them and significantly at that! These days, the education system has become such that you need to be successful each and every day in order to be able to stay in the hunt at all times. This is why you need a school management software system that is good enough to get the job done for you.

It should be detailed and strong enough to perform each and every task that you entrust it with and that too with at least a modicum of competence. Technology such as this would automate the ways in which your school works and this would be highly beneficial to you. As far as your operations – daily and otherwise – are concerned such a system would make them a lot more effective and efficient, to say the very least. There are certain situations where you would feel the need for an online school management software system in your school.

Communication gap

It is said that when your connections are healthy it lays the foundation for a relationship that satisfies you in so many ways. Without proper school data management software, you can be sure that there would be plenty of communication gap in your school and everyone connected in some way or the other to the school would be poorer for it. Till date, it has been seen that
plain student-teacher meetings, without being backed up by sound technology, is nothing more than mere hype. Instead of being objective as they are intended to be they become exercises into subjectivity.

This is the reason why it is seen so often that parents have no idea whatsoever as to how well or poorly their kids are doing at school. They do not have a proper grasp on the school career of their kids, something that is so integral in this day and age! With the help of management software for schools, it is possible for schools to remove and reduce this gap. Apart from the school and the parents it also helps the teachers and the students of a school. These systems use instant notification facilities and this can really help the students achieve a remarkable level of progress.

Problems in conducting examinations

In the context of education, it can be said with some justification that examinations are the best way to measure the progress of a student. As it is, conducting an examination could be quite a tough task. There is a lot of paperwork to take care of and a lot of effort goes into planning it
and making sure that the whole affair passes smoothly, without any incident whatsoever. It is because of the time taken as well as the huge amount of paperwork that they have to deal with that the teachers, find examinations to be so annoying in the first place.

In fact, one can be sure that the administrators think the same of examinations as well. Apart from the fact that so many answer sheets have to be checked, there is also the small matter of maintaining the records as well. The records also need to be maintained safely and properly, and for a long period of time as well. Apart from the fact that it is an extremely tough thing to do it can lead to wastage of time as well.

This is where a good online school system can be so helpful. With the help of such ERP (enterprise resource planning) system, you would be able to manage these tedious and arduous tasks a lot easier.

Problems in submission of fees

There is an old saying that states that anything, which is worth learning, should not be taught for free. There is perhaps no guardian or parent in the world who does not dread the process of submitting fees – this is especially applicable for schools where the latest technology is not being used.

Even if we discount the fact that parents are being poorer by a few dollars, albeit for a good cause, the very process itself can induce the highest levels of tedium and tiredness. Just because you are submitting your child’s fee it could mean that you have to miss out on some other work. At times, it could affect students as well – they too may have to miss valuable hours of a day. Then there is also the process of keeping the receipts safe – this has been
known to cause a lot more grief to both students and schools. However, if schools were to adopt the latest technology then such processes could be over and done within the matter of a few minutes.

Problems in managing lot of data at once

There is hardly any amount of paper that is good enough to hold all the data without any issues of safety. When as a school you put all the huge amount of data related to your school on paper not only are you being wasteful, you are being impractical as well. The records are always going to increase with the passage of time and much of this data is related to enrollment of students.

At the same time, schools are also hiring people to work for them and perform other activities related to the organization as well. This is why it is extremely hard to keep track of all this data and making sure that it stays safe from all types of threat. In case there are natural disasters and other such issues then data could get lost and irrevocably so if it is put in the paper. This is the reason why you need school management software to keep all that data safe and sound, come what may.

Problems in maintaining attendance

It is said that the first step in learning is being present at the time when the knowledge is being imparted. For any school regular attendance is an integral part of discipline and cannot be compromised at all. It also shows that the students are keen to learn. Apart from that, it depicts how much the students respect the code of the school as well as its discipline and rules. More
often than not it is the teachers who are supposed to perform this rather important task.

However, since it takes a lot of time, it also eats into the main thing that a teacher is supposed to do – teach. It can also affect the focus of the teachers and, by extension, the students in a negative manner.

A school that does not use the latest educational management technology is also going to face issues with managing the grade-books of its students. A school takes different kinds of examinations and there are various records that have to be maintained. Maintaining it on paper can hamper areas as key as the quality of teaching and increase the pressure on them. This, in turn, affects the students as well. However, with proper school management software, a school can manage these things a lot better.

GCC VAT 2018: Impacts of VAT on educational sector in GCC countries

December 28, 2017

VAT will roll out in GCC countries from 1st January 2018. Is your institution ready for it?

This blog has been prepared to provide a general overview of why the VAT has been introduced in GCC countries and how the VAT will affect the education sector in different countries. Along with that in end, you will get to know that how the Fedena can help your institution with VAT related operations.

Why VAT is introduced in GCC countries

Gulf countries are well known for their abundant stores of crude oil, which is the reason their economy has always been largely dependent on the energy sector. Evidently, the hydrocarbon sector constitutes around 40% of their total GDP. During the span 2011- 2014, oil revenue accounted between 70-80% of government revenue. The recent decline in oil price has resulted in the fiscal deficit, which has had a large impact on the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries’ budget. The existing tax system is comprised of low tax rates and narrow tax base, which isn’t to par for reducing the budget deficit gap. To balance the economic condition and to reform their income source, the government of GCC countries decided to introduce the VAT (Value Added Tax), which will be a substantial source for government’s income to bridge the budget gap.

Overview of VAT in GCC

VAT (Value Added Tax) is a tax on consumption of goods and services that is borne by the final consumer. This would result in a robust source of government income.

VAT registered businesses that supply goods and services are subject to either standard rate of 5% across the GCC or zero-rated charge to the customer, but the businesses can claim a credit for VAT paid on their purchase (also termed as input tax). On exempt goods and services, VAT cannot be reclaimed and the businesses have to pay standard rates.

Countries like UAE (United States Emirates) and KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) is going to implement VAT from 1 January 2018 at a rate of 5%. Other countries have yet to make an announcement of the implementation date.

VAT treatment on education in individual countries

For most of the businesses, the VAT would be charged at 5%, but some sectors like healthcare, education, food and financial service are treated differently in each country.

Let’s have a look at the scenario in various GCC countries:

UAE:

The UAE government states that for nurseries, pre-school, elementary schools and higher educational institutes, owned or funded by the federal or local government, the supplies of education services and good and services will fall under zero-rated VAT. But for other educational institutes which are not mentioned in the aforementioned list, they have to pay a standard rate of 5% VAT.

KSA:

The KSA government GAZT (General Authority of Zakat and Tax) outlined that the educational services are not exempt from the VAT and aren’t zero-rated. The education sector has to pay a standard rate.

How it impacts the education sector

In most of the countries across the world, the educational services are exempted from the VAT. With the context of GCC countries, not all the educational services fall under the zero-rated VAT.

Educational supplies are subject to zero rate
Course material,
Course fee (fees directly related to course),
Administrative services,
Field trips,
Food and accommodation to students.

While there are some educational services which are subject to the standard rate (5%) such as

If qualified institution supplies good and services to the person who is not enrolled
Uniforms and clothing
Any goods apart from educational materials
Foods and beverages supplies from vending machine
Field trips which are not directly related to curriculum of education service
Provision of school transportation
Extra-curricular activities
Sales of goods from canteen shop

But these rates on educational services varies from country to country. According to VAT framework agreement in GCC, individual nations have an ability to choose which VAT rate they would like to impose on the education sector. They can choose from either zero rates, standard rate or are fully exempted from the VAT. Each type has their side effect on the education sector.

Let’s see the scenarios when educational services fall under zero-rated VAT vs when they are exempted from the VAT.

If education is zero-rated:

Zero-rated tax directly affects the education provider, let’s take a scenario where their invoices, refund claims are not managed properly then they might face the cash flow issue.

If educational services are exempt from VAT:

In such scenarios the education provider and education receiver both will get affected. As the provider will not be able to recover the VAT that is incurred on their expenses on the exempt supplies. In these cases, to cover the expenditure and maintain the profit level the provider might raise the educational fee which will directly affect the learners.

How can Fedena help?

In coming days a new version of Fedena is going to be released which would include range of services to address the various elements of VAT.

Additional features available in this version:

Fedena can easily differentiate, which type of fee falls under zero rate VAT and which doesn’t.

Fedena has evolving day by day to simplify the complex operations of an institution. It is a modern ERP software which automates your institution processes and grows your institution productivity to the next level. Various modules available in Fedena are an admission, batch and classes, finance, fee structure, communication, transport, bulk data management, examinations and many more. The new GCC VAT ready version of Fedena will release next month so that our GCC region institutes, hassle-free manage the VAT rates evaluation in their finance structure.

Quickly connect with Fedena to modernize and digitize your institution structure. To find out more you can connect with our sales team: https://fedena.com/contact