Top 6 Advantages of Using an School ERP Software

 With the digitisation of education, several administrative tasks have become automated over the past few years. The school Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is a comprehensive software solution created to help organisations manage and handle a variety of processes. 

School ERP software, which often has a smart classroom, can improve and enhance the effectiveness of various school operations and increase the efficiency of designing, planning and operating academic resources. According to the report, the school ERP market is projected to reach USD 25.2 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 14.7% from 2021 to 2026. The introduction of School ERP software has helped the education industry to reach newer heights. Following are some of the key features of this software –

• Powerful scheduling tool

• User-friendly interface

• Accessible course material

• Integrated web-portal

• Responsive mobile apps

• Automated attendance management

• Data import and export provision

• Multiple billing and invoicing facility

• Email, SMS, and other alert mechanisms

To know more about the software, let's explore the advantages of school ERP software in detail. Let's see how the software helps schools reach their objectives of reducing costs, increasing productivity and improving the experience for all stakeholders.

6 Advantages of School ERP System

The Enterprise Resource Planning system is designed to make every school operation run smoothly and give administrators better access to student, teacher and other staff information. The system aids in recording this information in real time and manages every operation effectively.

Have a look at the advantages of School ERP software –

• Simplified Admission Process – There was a time when management had to waste lots of time on processing the admission process of the applicant. But as the technology changes, the entire management doesn't have to fill in the details of the student again and again, like - name, class, grades, contact information, etc. ERP software for schools simplifies this process by displaying all essential information in a single place and making it easy for the administration to access.

• Real-time Data Record – In the traditional education system, the data of students, teachers and other school staff were kept on paper. ERP software records the data in real time and eventually reduces the overall burden on the institution.

• Automated Fee Payments – The old education process is time-taking not only for teachers and students but also for the management. School management spends most of the time collecting student fees because it is one of the most essential processes in any school. But now, with this software, parents get notifications on their phones and do not have to visit the school for fee payments.

• Cost-Effective – Affordability is the most important thing that attracts the education industry to use this software in school. It is not hidden from anyone that the entire process, previously done by 3 or 4 people, can now be done in a few seconds with the help of this software.

• Faster Management Process – The management is the only department busier than others. Why? The only reason is that every day, students and teachers have some queries to ask, and students have to pay fees like annual, admission, late tuition, exam, hostel, back lock, etc. This makes them so busy as there are thousands of students in a school.

• Data Security – Every educational institute uses this software because it is a secure portal where management can put their important information. In the old education system, all the data was written manually, and school management had to keep it in the office. But after using this software, data is secured online.

Conclusion

ERP software for schools, which often comes equipped with a smart classroom, easily connects parents, managers, students and faculty on a single platform. In addition, the system digitises and makes school data available to several departments, making the management and processes more efficient and effective. In short, the entire school task can be incredibly difficult, but it can be made very easier by using ERP software. So, if you are not using this software in your school, start using it now!

The Benefits of Using a Learning Management System for Schools

 A learning management system is a software platform for remote, on-site and on-demand cloud-based training. This software provides teachers with a stand-alone system for assessment planning, parent reports, end-of-course grades and student feedback portals, just to name a few.

LMS software enhances kids' understanding to help develop their knowledge of the subjects easily and quickly. It provides students with improved learning in school.

According to the report, the LMS market will grow from USD 15.8 billion in 2021 to USD 37.9 billion by 2026 at a CAGR of 19.1% during the forecast period. This software is available in different pricing models with monthly, per-course or per-user payment options.

Learning Management System – An Overview

The LMS system allows teachers to enhance course content per students' preferences and needs. It integrates online software with several advanced features and functions necessary to facilitate everyday educational activities, from remote education to classroom learning.

LMS software allows young minds to use interactive features such as video conferencing, threaded discussions and discussion forums. With this software, educational institutions can replace traditional education with contemporary learning methods.

Using learning management systems will save school time and money. The software will allow administrators and instructors to efficiently handle and manage elements such as user content, calendars, registration, user access, certifications, notifications and communication.

Key Benefits of Using a Learning Management System

This software allows teachers to deliver instruction, conduct classes, assess student success, foster collaboration between parents and kids, and offer remote study resources. This system benefits K-12 schools in many ways. As per the report, approx. 77% of education faculty strongly agree that the LMS tool is critical to their teaching.

With the help of this software, parents, teachers, and kids have the flexibility to do everyday work to enhance learning. This is the best system for schools; it saves lots of time and money and gives teachers and students the best virtual learning environment.

Following are some of the benefits which an educational institution has after using this software – 

• Increased eLearning accessibility without location limitations;

• The ability to check and monitor kids' performance and progress;

• The ability to efficiently and easily update eLearning activities and modules;

• The ability to personalise the online learning and training experience;

• The help of automation lets users forget about tedious, repetitive tasks -- such as user certification distribution -- and focus on more significant activities, and

• The ability to effortlessly ensure remote learning and training materials are being distributed effectively.

Reasons for Using LMS Software in School

Have a look at reasons why schools use LMS software –

• Teachers share study materials with all students regardless of whether they are learning remotely.

• Parents and guardians can access their kid's class calendar, timetable, outline and assessment dates.

• Assessment can take place remotely in several formats in an LMS.

• LMS software enables learning to occur in several geographical places, including the student's home.

• Student assessment and attendance data can be easily stored and used to provide progression remotely with learning.

After knowing the benefits and reasons for using LMS software, let’s look at which software enables institutes to automate and simplify all regular activities, such as attendance records, curriculum management, administrative tasks, fee management, etc. ERP software is one such software that helps schools to increase their productivity. 

School ERP Software

School ERP Software is a robust, cloud-based, time-tested educational system with advanced modules that help teachers to digitise educational sectors' regular work processes. Have a look at the listed features of School ERP Software -

• Manage entire student life-cycle

• Leave application and approval

• Store alumni student information

• Repository for - fees, health records, scholarships, etc.

• Admission Status - Live Tracking

Conclusion

LMS software can significantly enhance the learning and teaching experience for educators and students. This software is also cost-effective to ensure sustainable use in the long run. The ideal LMS for schools provides an optimal remote learning environment while saving money and time.

Best School Management to help the sector survive stressful times

The sudden shift from physical classrooms to virtual classes has brought new challenges along with it. The physical and complex methods of data management are no longer possible. Moreover, the stakeholders of this industry are moving towards modern education technological solutions. Therefore, apart from providing a wholesome new-age educational experience to children, traditional methods of data management systems must also change. All these tasks are administrative and non-administrative tasks such as admission process, student’s attendance, class schedules, assessment, exam schedules etc. 

 

What is ERP?

 

ERP- Enterprise Resource Planning is software that manages business processes for a company, organization or school/university. It features multiple applications and tools that work together seamlessly to connect departments and bring the data from those various departments together into one database. It helps in putting all the required information right at our fingertips. It helps the teachers to spend their time on the teaching process and student’s progress, while the software manages all the intricate and time-consuming administrative tasks. 

 

Benefits of ERP in school:

 

Time-saving: It saves much time involved in managing data and information for the school. It saves time for the teachers and students by providing them ample time to focus on teaching and learning. All the back-office operations of a school are taken care of by this software.

 

Automation: We all know that administration and financial management involves regular recurring work of data entry. ERP automatically pulls specific data from all the applications within the system.

 

Data Integration: ERP is equipped with modern technologies such as cloud computing and machine learning. These technologies make data management more accessible and faster. This enables the schools to restore their data with security and is easy to recover whenever needed.

 

Flexibility: ERP helps us to access any information from anywhere. There are no time or location constraints anymore for a job to be carried out.

 

Organization: Restoring data in an organized manner is a tedious job. ERP helps in operating the entire management system in an organized manner. It comprises multiple applications and apps that share information with all the departments. 

 

Productivity: Once data management and office work is taken care of, teachers can invest more time with students. As a result, the quality of education becomes better, and the workforce also becomes more productive. 

 

Accessibility: All the people involved in the learning-teaching process can access any information anytime. Teachers, parents, students, principals and management can be well informed and connected through School ERP Modules.

 

Performance: The ERP software keeps everyone involved. The students can access all the required information when needed. Parents also stay updated and involved in their ward’s progress.

 

Conclusion: With education being delivered at our fingertips the requirement for easy and fast access to information is a need of the hour. Managing day-to-day administrative tasks have become more manageable with software like ERP. The schools now do not have to rely on stacks of paper files. They have the best school management software available now in the market. They can manage and access all the required data with just a click. This has helped in dissipating the bridge between school management and parents as well. With the help of school ERP modules, the parents can keep track of all the developments in the education system. ERP has made everyone self-dependent and has connected all the departments. All the stakeholders of the education department are now interconnected. Implementing these modules in the schools has helped improve students' and teachers’ performance.

How LMS for Schools lets school owners juggle various tasks

COVID-19 has undoubtedly deepened the existing education crisis that can create havoc on students’ future if not addressed on time. The recovery will need additional budgets, but schools on an individual front can start taking steps to mitigate the learning loss created by the ongoing pandemic.

The school management has been a hassle ever since they declared infinite shutdown. Online learning was deployed to bridge the learning gap created in schools, but to keep the school administration functions going, there was no respite or way out. Many school administrative works such as collecting a fee, conducting exams, and recording students’ holidays became a task—only the best schoolmanagement software can cure this.

ERP software is a one-stop solution to every administrative problem that a student or school staff goes through. With a single click, school stakeholders can juggle various responsibilities and minimise manual tasks.

 

Why technology is no more an option

Earlier technology was considered a TIER-1 concept where only bigger schools had its’ access. However, with the pandemic and school functions coming to a halt, schools even in smaller cities embraced technology. As a result, technology helps in undisrupted learning, upskilling teachers, quality education, and ensures that every school department runs smoothly.

ERP Solutions for schools help schools with the following:

●      Automation of school function

When the conventional walls of the schools got shut, conducting even minscule tasks became harrowing. However, with ERP and smart technology, everything can be taken care of with a single click. 

●      Better connectivity between all stakeholders

ERP helps all school stakeholders stay connected even when the schools are shut. For example, teachers can connect with parents whenever they want and vice-versa. They do not have to fix a parent-teacher meeting to do so.

●      Timely fee collection

Sending endless reminders to parents about timely payment of fees became a daily activity for the school administration. However, reminders can be sent to parents with school ERP, and fees can be paid on time.

●      Ease of taking attendance

Manual attendance became a nightmare during online learning (LMS for school). ERP allows teachers to take students' attendance when they log in and can help school stakeholders know if they are attending fewer classes or taking many leaves.

●      Assessments

 Teachers can conduct assessments online, do instant grading and suggest remedial with the help of ERP enhancing student performance.

 

The unreliability of the current education model was exposed with the pandemic, and with the kind of learning loss created, the industry cannot withstand such shocks in the future, inevitably. So now is the time for schools to think through a structure that’s more than brick-and-mortar and transcends the stand-and-deliver mode of education. The myth around technology in schools finally wanes, and now is the time for stakeholders to make the most of it—to deploy smart technology inside schools.

 

The dawn we have been waiting for

Fortunately or unfortunately, technology has expedited the advancements long due in the sector. With technology comes new hope and a guarantee that the future will have better-prepared children who are fast learners who are more skilled and can take any problem head-on. Unfortunately, COVID induced lockdown pushed nearly 1.6 billion children out of the classroom that caused irreversible learning gaps. To avoid such crises in the future, schools have become necessary to adapt to the change and keep evolving with time.

How technology for schools has proved a boon to learning

 The ‘double mutation’ covid virus has worried the world, with more impact and increased mortality rate. This virus has made over 17-18 countries, including India, impose lockdown (complete/partial) again. The countries where the schools were reopened have again switched to online learning. In the present scenario, the technology for schools has again emerged as a blessing in disguise for the students.

The school ERP software have enabled schools to conduct the online classroom seamlessly. Also, these ERP solutions for schools ensure that the students can easily access the smart classes without facing any difficulty. It won’t be an overstatement that ERP software for schools have proved supreme solutions to prevent loss of learning. Not only does the school ERP system confirm the undisrupted learning, but also it is helpful in school management tasks. 

Let’s read further to understand the benefits an ERP system for school offers to different stakeholders:

 For teachers 

A school ERP app enables teachers to conduct virtual classes with time management to keep pace with the session’s syllabus. Also, the teachers can find the organised teaching material and methods on the app to derive the best teaching outcomes.      

 For students

 Easy access to virtual classroom is the prime benefit students can avail using the school ERP. None of us has the answer to when shall normalcy be established and traditional classroom start. In such a context, students rely on the online classrooms driven through the school ERP system.

 For parents       

 The school ERP app allows the parents to track the real-time progress of their wards vigilantly. It has also enhanced the communication between parents and teachers. Now, parents don’t have to wait for PTMs to get the feedback of their kids. They can connect with the class teachers with a click of a button on their mobile.

 For principals/ school owners

 Schools owners and principals can also attain benefits from a school ERP system. It brings ‘school on the cloud’, and principals can check everything right from the performance of teachers & students to the status of school management/administrative tasks. Hence, school ERP enables principals/ school owners to get overall control over school functions.   

Future of School ERP Systems 

Now you all must be wondering about the future of school ERP systems. There is a misconception that schools will use ERP systems until the situation gets back to normal. But this is not true. The highly functional school ERP systems allow hybrid learning - an amalgam of offline and online learning. Hence, even when schools will get back to traditional four-walled learning, the ERP systems will be operational. 

Once the world gets independence from social distancing and other strict COVID guidelines, schools will reopen, and conventional learning will take off. But school ERPs are all set to add a new essence to the learning even in offline mode. The learning gets pretty effective with school ERP systems, and students get to read an enhanced curriculum - way more advanced than their regular course curriculum.    

Wrap Up 

This is all about how ERP solutions support offline as well as online learning in schools. The point that bids a mention here is that a school ERP should be highly advanced so that the stakeholders in schools can harness its power wholly. An advanced ERP software for schools confirms the undisrupted learning and also smoothens the management tasks like attendance management, report card creation, fee submission, etc.