How to Choose a Student Information Software?

“How to Choose a Student Information Software” has become a common question among school principals lately. Learn how to choose the right student information software (and their benefits) in this detailed post.

Choosing the Right Student Information Management System

Running a successful school in this day and age is no easy feat. Schools are more like businesses these days. The best schools are operated by fierce principals, who turn out to be great marketers (because you need do whatever you can to attract new admissions).

As a school owner or principal, attracting more students to your school should be one of the top items on your checklist. There’s just no room for guesswork when it comes to positioning your school for success.

In addition to running the best school in your region (and having great staff), you need to automate and digitise your school to attract new admissions.

And you will need to invest in the right set of tools to help you achieve that.

There are hundreds (maybe even thousands) of edtech software companies that provide different types of school ERP software. With many variations of SIS systems out there, you may need help finding the right student information software for your school.

What’s the Need for School Management Software?

School management systems have been around since 1995, helping educational institutions, like your school, manage day-to-day operations more effectively.

These systems provide a handful of smart features, making them reliable and ideal for modern educational systems. The following are some ways the right student information software can benefit your school.

Top benefits of a school information management software

• The platform is pretty useful for all stakeholders. The teachers, students, parents, school administration, and board of directors all benefit uniquely from the school ERP software. The feeds and SMS features keep everyone up-to-date with the most recent happenings.
• Streamlines the workflows. A student information system automates the day-to-day repetitive tasks. This, in turn, reduces the burden on your staff, allowing them to become more productive.
• Safely stores school records. The system stores personal student data and all academic information (or records) on a centralised platform. Meaning there won’t be any leakage or loss of data because only those with the login details can access this information.
• Provides hassle-free management solutions for the entire administrative process. The platform also helps you manage key academic functions, including admission management, classroom management, online fee payment, finance, report management, etc.

What to Consider When Finding a Student Information Software?

Now that you have an idea of how your school could benefit from edtech software, how do you choose the right school management software?

With so many different variations of these programs out there, you need to be careful with what you choose, as not all edutech software will meet your needs.

Some edtech software providers develop software to meet certain needs. Some go that extra step to build an all-in-one platform that any educational institution can use. Such tools are known to be very reliable, as you can customise them to meet your requirements.

Regardless of the type of system, the following are some of the things you should check✅ when choosing the right school management software for your school.

#01 Stakeholder expectations

The solution you choose should be able to meet the requirements of all stakeholders.

This includes the requirements for the school’s technical and accounting departments, teachers, students, and board members, to name a few. Additionally, school ERP software is an essential link that helps your school maintain transparency in the way it operates.

#02 Protection of data

Schools often store important data, such as student personal information, question papers, exam results, fee collection data, etc.

As the school head, part of your job is to ensure the proper protection of that data. No school owner would want to risk information leakage (or loss) due to a weak or outdated system. A cloud-based SIS system like SchoolTry can help you avoid such risks and even more.

Smart software provides cloud benefits with improved data security, so data leakage or loss should be the last thing to worry about.

#03 Scalability

When adding your school into the system, you may not have enough student data (or information) to enter and organise. But as your school grows, so does your database. And that’s particularly why you need scalable edtech software to effectively manage large volumes of student data.

To find out if a program is scalable, you can check what others are saying or whether other schools in your region are using the program. Doing so would give you an idea of whether the specific school ERP software is the right choice for your school.

#04 Ease of usage

Get software that will help you automate your school operations and reduce the workload. A program that all the users, including teachers, students, parents, and other stakeholders would love and use.

The ease of use (or user-friendliness) of software is a factor that determines how useful the software would be for your educational institution. Pick complicated software, and your staff will have a harder time learning how to use it than completing tasks.

A sign that an existing school management program isn’t helping is when you spend more time trying to understand the basics instead of focusing on completing tasks to save time.

#05 Flexibility

The way schools operate is subject to constant change. Therefore, it’s crucial to get school ERP software that is flexible enough to accommodate any possible changes. Likewise, adapting to the techniques (or methods) that consistently depend on the time and requirements of your school is equally important.

Conclusion

Educational institutions across the African continent are realising the need for powerful SIS systems to manage daily operations smoothly. That includes streamlining admission management, managing large volumes of student data, managing classrooms, tracking attendance, payments, reports, etc.

Moreover, a student information system automates administrative tasks, thus reducing the workload of your teachers. As such, your teachers will have plenty of time to plan and organise learning content that transforms the lives of their students.

Finding the right platform is usually a challenge for many, but you can’t go wrong if you pick an all-in-one student information software like SchoolTry.

Get started today and experience a transformation in the teaching and learning experience your school offers. Use this magic link to register your school with SchoolTry and claim your free 30-day trial with unlimited access to all the smart features.