Choosing a school management system is one of the most impactful technology decisions a school can make. The right system saves hundreds of hours annually, reduces errors, and improves parent satisfaction. The wrong one creates more problems than it solves.
The 7 Must-Have Features
1. Tally Integration If your school uses Tally for accounting (and most Indian schools do), your management system must integrate with it. Look for two-way sync that pushes fee collection vouchers automatically.
2. Multi-Board Support India has CBSE, ICSE, State Boards, IB, and IGCSE schools. Your system should come pre-configured with the grading scales and report card formats for your board.
3. Mobile Apps Parents expect mobile access. Teachers need to mark attendance on the go. A system without native mobile apps is already outdated.
4. Payment Gateway Integration UPI has transformed how India pays. Your system should support Razorpay, Paytm, or similar gateways for online fee collection.
5. Cloud Hosting On-premise servers are a liability. Look for cloud-hosted solutions on AWS or Azure India for data residency compliance and 99.9% uptime.
6. Data Migration Support Switching systems is painful. Choose a vendor that handles data migration from your existing system as part of the implementation.
7. Compliance Features RTE quota management, NEP 2020 assessment, and GST-compliant invoicing are non-negotiable for Indian schools.
Red Flags to Watch For
- Vendors who charge per-user instead of per-student
- No offline mode for areas with unreliable internet
- Lack of regional language support
- No dedicated implementation manager
The best way to evaluate is to book demos with 3-4 vendors and compare them against your specific requirements.
