School management is not an easy job at all. It requires lots of effort to manage every aspect of a school in an efficient manner. Those aspects include timetable management, performance management, payroll management, bookstore management and so on. The worst part is that, in most schools, all these tasks are done manually. Many tools have been introduced in the market to mark an end to the troubles caused due to manual school management. They guarantee accurate and efficient school management with minimum effort put into it. Here are five tools that every school should be using for a better school management experience:

 1. School bus tracking software

This software addresses the safety concerns of parents and school authorities regarding students. The school bus tracker software by Edsys is one such example. It enables efficient student and vehicle tracking in real time. Students will have RFID tags attached to their ID cards that they are expected to swipe in the card reader once they board the school bus. Notifications will then be sent to the phones of parents and school authorities. The school bus drivers can log into the GPS tracking system as they start their day, which enables the analysis of their performances. The advantages of such software are:

• Whereabouts of students and school buses can be known real time from a mobile application called Parent App
• School bus tracking software help in monitoring performances of school bus drivers, by generating reports on driver’s timing and attendance.
• Parents and school bus authorities do not have to worry about students getting down at the wrong bus stop or over speeding as they will receive notifications for the same.

2. Attendance tracking software

This software is of great use especially when you are calculating pay scales for the employees. It keeps track of punch details of employees, which can be accessed after any number of days. Attendance history of every employee can be generated on a monthly basis making it easier to calculate the number of leaves taken. It also helps to determine the employee for each month. The advantages of attendance tracking software are:

• No paper work
• Lesser effort in terms of calculation of leaves taken by an employee in a month
• Attendance data of every employee is stored, which can later be accessed for future use

3. Timetable management software

Managing timetables tops the list of toughest tasks in school management. There are many aspects that have to be kept in mind while preparing timetables, be it for class rooms or for teachers. Therefore, manual timetable management is prone to errors. Preparing timetables considering employees’ leaves and allotting classes to teachers balancing the time is not at all easy. Timetable management software comes handy at such instances. Advantages of timetable management software include:

• Automated or interactive timetable generation considering absence of certain employees
• Allotment of periods in terms of classes and teachers can be done efficiently
• Substitution management made easy in case a teacher is absent
• Lab periods can be allotted according to their availability
• Generation of timetables for schools with any number of working days
• A maximum of three timetables can be generated at a time

4. School Work Force Management System

This software helps in calculating the potential of every employee. Sometimes, the calibre of an employee is left unseen even if he or she puts their entire effort into the productivity in a school. This may lead to some issues in future and their work may sometimes be valued only after they leave the institution. School Work force Management System software by Edsys is of great use there. This software has the following advantages

• No paperwork in terms of performance evaluation of each employee
• Contains attendance history of an employee that can be accessed whenever it is needed
• The employees can add their day-to-day activities in the timesheet section of work force management system software. This can help evaluate an employee’s performance on a monthly or an annual basis.
• An employee’s skills and areas of development can be understood by analysing timesheet history. This can help the school in using the potential of the employee to the fullest.

5. Smart Card Solutions

Smart Card Solutions can be termed as an all-in-one package that can be used for almost all purposes in school. Some of these include:

• Purchase of food items from school canteen
• Fee payment
• Library attendance
• Purchase of provisions from school book store

Some of the advantages of Smart Cards are:

• Food items and beverages can be bought using Smart Cards even if a student forgot to take cash with him or her
• Parents can easily pay school fees using Smart Cards as they carry all information regarding a student. This relieves the parents from having to panic looking for their child’s roll number and other details
• Return and lending of books becomes easier with Smart Cards. Students do not have to carry a library card with them. They can just swipe their Smart Cards while entering the library to mark the attendance
• Students can buy books or other provisions at school bookstore using Smart Cards. The statement of the purchase will then be sent to the parents.
• You can top up the credit of a Smart Card by paying at the fee collection counter

For schools that still use manual school management techniques, the time is right to turn digital .The tools mentioned above provide an error-free school management experience, that too in an efficient manner. They, thereby contribute to the development of a school to new heights.