School is the platform from where our coming generation gets the training to understand the world and become a responsible citizens of our society. Students imbibe the teachings of parents and teachers and the morals taught by the school. It is a temple and our educators have big-time responsibility to keep the standard of education high and correct.
This can only happen when educational institutions run smoothly and systematically. An efficient work system is necessary to reduce errors. Schools cannot set a bad example in management because repercussions will flow deep down. They need to be careful and active at all times.
Technology has made a great deal of impact on our daily lives and made it quite comfortable. It has penetrated even at grass root levels in almost every sphere. We lose in the long run if we do not go hand in hand with technology.
Our schools should be pioneers in introducing and accepting advancements in technology. It is our responsibility how well we make use of technology for improving and enhancing our performance. This is where the school software comes and where our schools must be cautious in choosing one. Schools have huge amounts of data to manage and update accurately on a daily basis. The various departments of a school must run in synchronization to handle these mammoth tasks efficiently.
Schools avoid the mistakes when choosing school management software:
Hesitation and Haste
Schools hesitate initially to adopt a new platform for carrying out everyday manual tasks. Generally, teachers and staff are reluctant to change their comfort zone. Hence, management doesn’t feel the urgent need to go digital. When competitors switch to a digital mode of working and show rapid progress, they are instigated to adopt the new technology too. In haste, the wrong school ERP is chosen which becomes a headache rather than help. Money is wasted, and they do not find themselves benefiting from it. School Management System must be carefully selected that best fits their requirements. Devoting sufficient time to thorough market research will give the best school ERP software.
Miser Approach
Management is not directly involved in the day-to-day activities of the school. Many a time, they fail to understand the need for switching to a better system to improve the work process. They find Excel sheets useful enough and fail to see the benefits of going digital. Software is purchased keeping the budget or the price of the School ERP in mind, extensive research is not done in understanding the features and working of the software. Many schools opt for free or cheap, school management software developed on open source that leads to breach in data and cause more harm than good. It can generate severe problems like hacking or tampering with the data.
School management systems or apps should be purchased prioritizing the superiority of the software and its robust security system. It’s better to be safe than sorry!
Unclear Requirements
This is one of the most essential surveys, a school must do to find out their exact requirements and fields, which need immediate and urgent improvement. They must keep their short-term and long-term goals directly on the table when talking with the School ERP provider. Needs must be communicated openly and clearly with the provider of the software. It will help the provider to implement the modules with a proper strategy to benefit the school. Schools must choose user-friendly software to enable everyone to work comfortably on it.
Not Using Experienced Personnel Both Inside and Outside
Schools must insist on getting a skilled and seasoned person for installing the software, who has already worked with similar school sizes. Schools should have a qualified person in their IT department to get correctly and adequately acquainted with the interface of the software for the first-time implementation. This will help a lot in understanding the features of the software and its working for the school. School ERP software should have the flexibility to attend to minute details and yet accomplish the broader goals of the school.
Unnecessary Customization
Schools should manage customization tightly and should only ask for it if they have actual and immediate requirements. It may introduce technical risks and problems in data conversion resulting in disturbing the complete system.
Ambiguity in Data
This is very important, on the part of schools to keep their data suitably arranged and segregated to feed onto the system. The data feed for the first time into the school management software must be correct and in a proper format. If information is not accurately filled in for the first time, the entire purpose of implementing the school management system will crumble in credibility.
Absence of Training
Schools must provide extensive training to their staff and teachers for learning the school information management software properly. They may not be equipped with the technical know-how of the software. It is necessary as their manual work will be automated; they must get proper training for it. Since the departments are interlinked for the regulation of data, it is imperative that everyone learns to use it properly and must become familiar with all modules and facilities of the software. From time to time, regular sessions should be conducted to keep updating the staff and teachers regarding using the software more efficiently.
Compromise in Quality
Schools compromise with the robustness of the software, its artificial intelligence integration, and the encryption of data. This proves harmful to the data and working of the school. Things can become complicated and slow if the quality of school management software is not certified or licensed.