Through the years technology has shaped different industries. One sector that has benefitted from different technological advancements in the education sector.

This sector has been and is still one of the biggest in the world. As children will continue to engage in learning, this industry will continue to grow and remain alive. With that, upgrades or innovations are always incorporated into its processes.

One of the most beneficial technological advancements in the education sector today is the e-school management system. This tool is now being used in different educational institutions all over the world. It has helped these organizations produce more valuable results and improve productivity.

First, let us define the e-school management system and determine its scope.

Definition and Scope

The e-school management system is an online information management tool that helps with various school tasks. It helps schools such as colleges, universities, and even online schools to enhance their procedures.

The system does this by automating jobs such as data input and analyzing data. Automation helps educational organizations save time and resources. It eliminated the need for manual supervision, therefore, cutting down on human resource costs as well.

The scope of the e-school management system depends on the package that an organization would procure. In overview, this system should be able to cover basic tasks. These tasks include admissions, communication, online activities, and payroll processing. 

Below are some of the good e-school management system features that you should look out for. 

Good Features

There is a wide variety of e-school management systems to choose from. They offer different but similar services. So, before getting one make sure that you are choosing the best-fit system.

Admissions Management

Admission is seen as one of the most important parts of school operations. It is often defined as just the enrollment procedure, however, admissions go beyond that.

This stage involves attracting new prospects or leads, turning them into successful clients, and guiding them until they are officially enrolled in a class. The e-school management system should be able to simplify this and make the procedure easy for all parties.

For example, the system should be able to handle student inquiries or questions regarding the admission process. Automating the response to student queries can help increase the conversion rate. The conversion rate refers to the number of inquiries that successfully turned into enrollments.

Second, the e-school management system is also expected to handle student information management. After admission, the student directory must be updated with the new enrollees. It is highly recommended to have a system that can do all these processes. It ensures that the admission stage is smooth and continuous. 

Provide Timetable Management

An integrated school schedule is an essential part of every school operation. That is why a system that offers timetable management is highly recommended.

A timetable is important because it helps school staff and students to stay on top of things that they need to attend to. Being able to follow an organized schedule makes it easier for all stakeholders to fulfill their tasks. This way, the school can ensure productivity and improve the learning process of students. 

This image is an example from GoSchooler. It is an image of how a timetable looks in an e-school management system. 

There are many kinds of timetables and below are a few of them:

• Consolidated timetable – this is also known as the general timetable. It serves as the overall schedule of the whole school system. It involves all the teachers’ and students’ class schedules. Further, it shows all the programs that are laid out for the rest of the school year. Although all relevant personnel are given a copy, this is originally intended for the school headmaster.

• Class schedule – this timetable is meant to show the time allocation of classes per section. It shows the daily allotment of courses including their breaks or rest hours. This is used to guide the teachers and students. Also, the class schedule prevents overlapping of faculty roles.

• Teacher’s timetable – the roles of a teacher go beyond the class schedule. That is why it is essential for them to have their own timetable. Their timetable should be able to show all kinds of jobs assigned to them including extracurricular activities.

An integrated schedule or overall timetable may be more complicated than you think. That is why it is important to choose software that can offer this service. 

Communication Tool

A great e-school management system can also serve as the communication channel between the school and its students. Communication is important in learning as it ensures that all information is accurate.

So, a reliable communication tool or software should be incorporated. The majority of e-school management systems today, like GoSchooler, allow teachers to communicate with the parents or guardians in real-time.

Teachers can send bulk messages such as email or text messages. The parents or guardians then receive this message immediately. This way, they can always be updated regarding school or class announcements. 

Another effective and efficient communication method is through the school notice board. So, the system should serve as one. Below is an image of what a notice board would be like in these kinds of systems. 

Library Management

The library plays a great role in good education procedures. The library serves as the source of literature and as an avenue for extended learning. Since we are living in a world where everything is available online, library access should also be made available online.

An online library should be integrated into an e-school management system to create easier access. This online tool can store literature information from title, author, and date published. It also allows students to easily find the piece of literature needed through the search feature.

In addition, the e-school management system allows the librarians to easily track issued books through this feature below. This way, it can ensure students’ accountability for the books they have borrowed. 

Mobile Application

Accessibility is now one of the determining factors of how good a certain software is. If your tool is not accessible. , then it would be a waste. Therefore, it is highly recommended to choose a school management software that is mobile-friendly.

The main goal of these systems is to provide convenience to the users. Being available on mobile is one of the most convenient features. For teachers, they can send out announcements and share files anytime and anywhere.

While students can get updates and attend to school-related matters through different devices. Systems such as GoSchooler offer mobile access through applications.

Online Classes and Exams

Related to how times are changing is how classes and exams are conducted. In the early years, learning is limited to the four corners of a classroom. Requirements are accomplished in school facilities.

Today, online classes and the convenience they provide are the way to go. An efficient e-school management system can conduct online classes. The feature includes scheduling classes either individually or in bulk. In addition, it creates a full report of these classes. The report includes figures such as the date, time, and a total number of attendees.

Today, even examinations can be conducted online. A management system allows teachers to add questions related to the coverage of the exams. This can help teachers create or build tests. Then they can eventually give the exam to the students.

One of the most time-consuming parts of examinations is the checking stage. But with a tool like this, teachers can set the parameters or indicate correct answers prior to giving the exam. This way, students can receive real-time feedback regarding their performance.

Online Payments

As we have highlighted the many advantages of online tools, online payments will always be a part of it. Settling dues or payments have been part of everyone’s lives. It ranges from paying utilities, to rent, and even school fees.

The e-school management system offers a service wherein students and their guardians can access, question, and settle their fees online. With this tool, parents can receive their current balance through emails or by accessing the school portal.

They are also given the option to pay through different platforms aside from banks. There are various third-party payment gateways today that let you pay school fees without extra charges.

Online payment processing is highly advantageous as it is not limited to settling bills. This feature includes providing e-receipts that can be kept in the cloud. This way, both the school and guardians can keep the proof of payment. In the future, should these documents be needed, it would be easier for both parties to access them.

Employee Information Management

Employees are the backbone of every institution. Without them, an organization would fail to operate. So, an organized and efficient employee management system is essential. Powerful school management tools are not limited to handling student data. The services should extend to employee data and information.

Here are just a few of the things that a management system should cover:

• Attendance – this factor is important for every organization. It helps them determine and foresee the performance of every employee. So, an efficient tool that can help the management track employee attendance is a must. With the e-school management system, even the staff’s attendance can be tracked and monitored.

• Payroll – connected to attendance tracking is payroll processing. Attendance is the determinant of the number of pay employees receive. Online platforms that can extend their services from attendance to payroll processing provide the utmost convenience. The need for separate analysis and computation can be eliminated as the system has every piece of information stored in the cloud. This way, the efficiency of payroll can be improved. 

Produces Reports

This is an important feature of the e-school management system as it helps in decision-making. The software must be able to provide an overview or even a detailed document on different school aspects.

Here is an example of what kinds of reports are produced by the software. 

Advantages

Here are some of the advantages of a school management system.

Saves Time

As mentioned above, this tool automates the basic processes. This means that it cuts down a significant amount of time spent on various tasks. 

Before, tasks such as attendance checking, payroll, and even communication were done manually. These common tasks even required extra personnel to be carried out. However, as the tool automates these processes it lessens the time spent and removes the need for manual labor and supervision. 

The time saved by the school management on these jobs can be used and utilized for other things. These things can contribute positively to the students

Easy File Management

Imparting knowledge can be done in two ways. One is through the live classes while the other is through reading different materials. That is why it is important to be able to access files and documents that can upscale the learning process.

Tools that store data in the cloud allow easier access to these files. The teacher can upload it from anywhere then students can access and use it for learning. The need to physically pick up these materials is eliminated therefore providing more convenience for all stakeholders.

Data-Driven Policies

It was mentioned above that these kinds of tools can produce reports or documents. These reports provide an overview of the different aspects of the schools.

These documents are important because they will be used by the school to create policies that are well-planned. In educational institutions, policymaking is crucial because it could affect the learning process of children.

When tools like GoSchooler produce real and accurate reports and figures, the management can base their decisions and future policies on these. 

Take, for example, attendance reports. This kind of document would guide administrators in determining which student has incurred a high number of absences. From there, they can create solutions. These solutions will be aimed at making sure that all students will be able to get the education they deserve.

Another example that is worth mentioning is the real-time exam reports. Being able to view exam results after the time slot is helpful. It would be bridging the communication gap between mentors and students. 

The teachers can immediately address issues such as failing grades or poor performance. This kind of feature can help the school ensure that no student is behind in the learning process.

Disadvantages

Everything that we enjoy has its own share of disadvantages. In a school management system, the disadvantages come from the fact that it is technology-based. As technology is still evolving, there are still aspects where it can be improved.

The most common disadvantage of this system is the need for an internet connection. Although we are, relatively, in a technologically advanced society, not everyone has an internet connection. So, educational organizations may often be faced with internet connection problems. 

The second disadvantage may be the lack of knowledge of school staff. A tool won’t be able to offer its full potential if users do not know how to navigate it. That is why it is highly advisable to get software that is user-friendly. You may also opt for one in which developers offer 24/7 customer support. This way, all concerns can be solved immediately.

FAQs

Key Points to Remember

The learning process will always continue to evolve. So, educational institutions should take necessary measures to make sure that they can provide the highest quality of education to students. 

One way to do this is to integrate a tool that will help the organization deliver better and improved services. Today, the e-school management system is considered to be a helpful tool in the education industry.

It offers various features and services such as student and employee information management. It also provides detailed reports to guide school administrators in creating and implementing better school policies. 

These tools have their own set of advantages and disadvantages, So, always remember to choose the software that can deliver the best services and results.