School management is not a bed of roses, so handling it manually can be tiresome and erroneous. It needs to deal with various stakeholders, like parents, students, teachers, and administrative staff. Among all these, students are the core entity around which all processes are woven. As time progresses, educational institutes understood the importance of student data, and thus arises a need for a dedicated student ERP system. The system will put students at the center and manage all the relevant activities seamlessly. Storing, maintaining, and compiling the students’ data, and keeping track of each activity, will help all stakeholders to enhance the overall learning process.

What is a Student ERP System?

A student ERP system is an information management system suitable for educational institutes to manage and automate the daily activities of administration and academic areas. The data generated is generally stored on cloud servers so that stakeholders can access it faster. Data storing patterns may be different depending upon the institute requirements, but here is the list of general fields required to store about students:

• Personal information
• Health Information
• Schedules
• Report card data
• Behavioural data

This data is massively used in various educational and administrative processes:

• Admission management
• Fee management
• Transport management
• Courses and curriculum management 
• Exam and results

Whether the concept of student ERP is new to you or you want to change your existing system to a new one, understand some top 10 factors for selecting the best one for you:

• Cloud Storage

Storing and maintaining students’ data and using it for various purposes is the core aim of any student ERP. But what if these processes are running all over time? A robust solution for this is to check whether or not your student ERP is cloud-based. Enjoy the maintenance-free and cost-effective solution that will give you faster access to data and validates user requests based on their privileges before granting access. 

• Online Admission and Registrations

What is the point in investing in different software for student management and admission management when the core entity is the same and who will get trapped in the friction of connecting both software? So, when you are investing in the student ERP system, make sure it also accommodates the online admissions and registration facilities. The software should send notifications and emails regarding every important update in the process. The administration should be able to customize data to maintain transparency in allotments and keep confidential data secure. Also, make sure that the software allows students to track their applications. 

• Maintenance of Student Records

A massive amount of students’ data is generated when it is processed rightly with the right student ERP. Maintenance and storing this data and making it available whenever needed is where the student ERP system highlights. Students should get all authorized information without any hassle, like updated report cards, exam schedules, or event information in real-time. In ideal situations, these systems should help to track students’ progress and offer intuitive dashboards with various useful filters.

• Seamless Communication

One of the primary intentions behind the invention of student ERP software is seamless communication between parents, teachers, and students. Thoughtfully designed software provides a platform where students can get every minute detail about academic and non-academic aspects like exam schedules, class timetables, and changes in transport. This will help students to reach out to authorized information sources within a few clicks away. 

• Analytics and Dashboards

Analytics-based software is much in demand when it comes to selecting the best student ERP system in India. After all, technology should help in expanding the canvas and help the institute grow in all directions. The system should present the data in a simpler and more coherent form with various filters to sort out the data according to the user’s requirements.

• Mobile App

Having a mobile app for student ERP has become a necessity rather than a luxury nowadays. The easier handling of the app and provision of accessibility anywhere, anytime, will help stakeholders to accomplish their daily routine without any barriers. So, fulfilling the mobile app criteria is a must while selecting the best student ERP in India. 

• Customization

It is a universal truth that one software doesn’t fit all. As different schools operate differently, it becomes utmost necessary to look that whether the student ERP works exactly as per your requirements. So, the vendor should provide tailor-made software that will fit your specifications. There are different areas like educational boards, exam patterns, and grading patterns where schools may have different specifications. One look that this customization is also provided in the software. 

• Technology Integration

The education system has evolved and has integrated many technology-oriented approaches as biometric attendance instead of attendance registers, GPS-based transports, online fee payments, and others. All these integrations must work concurrently with no friction when you install new student ERP software. 

• Scalability and User-friendliness

Although scalability and user-friendliness are two different factors, they are important when selecting any software. Your software must work perfectly as your institute grows in size and region. Multi-branch school is not a new concept so it is an obvious expectation that single software must take care of all branches under one roof. User-friendliness defines the ease of handling software in a daily routine. As institutes may have different users, every single user must have the same engagement with the software. Attractive UI, easier navigation, user help files, and several other things that will make the user comfortable to use the software must be in-built into the student ERP. 

• Customer Support

Although you sieve the software before purchase, having post-implementation issues is a common thing. These issues may be of different forms, like user training, installation issues, or maintenance problems. So, the vendor must be there when you face any issue to solve it. Look for a vendor who has a dedicated customer support team that provides support in different forms like online, call, email, or in-person. 

During and after the pandemic, the Indian education system witnessed a colossal shift as the entire focus turned to virtual learning.  The importance of students’ data became the center point of every educational process and thus educational market sees never seen rising demands for school ERP software in India. Vidyalaya, a leading software provider company in India, having expertise in school software in India, is serving educational institutes in India and at the global level for the last 20+ years with dominant products. If you are clear with what to see while selecting the best student ERP system, please visit Vidyalaya’s product range for assured solutions.