Educational ERP – An Introduction
The Digital age is transforming education. Many functions and processes of an institution that were carried out manually can now be done systematically and seamlessly with an educational Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP).
Educational ERP system is an online system which can be used to perform various tasks and processes of an institution. Is the software beneficial only to the staff of the Institution? No, It is beneficial to everyone. Right from the students to the teachers, employees to employers. It is a tool for the administration to make use of the data and information in an efficient manner. Educational ERP, with a single database system, makes information and communication easy across various departments of an institution.
Objective of an Educational ERP
The major objective of educational ERP is to ease the burden of functions and processes on the administration by automating the processes. An educational ERP covers in-depth functions that help reduce the cost as well as time by increasing efficiency in an institution.
Why does your institution need an educational ERP?
Educational ERP Software helps educational institutions, with some common issues faced by their staff and administration. Is your institution facing issues with:
1) NAAC/NBA Accreditation reports?
2) Online Admission system?
3) Entrance exam conduction?
4) Admission- merit list generation?
5) Employee management system?
6) Learning Management System (LMS)?
If your answer to any of these is yes, then your Institution definitely needs an ERP. Not just these common issues, an ERP system can help in making day to day functions of an institution a lot easier and hassle free!
What does an Educational ERP help an institution with?
An educational ERP helps the various departments in an institution to get interconnected. Being interconnected, the data can flow easily from one place to another. With the help of an Educational ERP, data of any student/faculty/employee can be available with a single click, thus making it easy to fetch the data of a student or teacher whenever and wherever required. Data being able to fetch so easily aids in the decision making process of the Institution. It helps to make better decisions and also in an efficient manner.
An educational ERP also helps the management to make a decision on what function or aspect is of greater importance so they can focus on it first. It helps to keep a record of everything- records, logs, decisions, data etc. All these are directly visible to the authorities through the system. It helps to reduce miscommunication as the authorities won’t be dependent on other members for the data or information. This in turn improves the culture of an institution. This software is capable to collect data over a few years across various domains and help the Institution to analyze and predict students’ and employees’ performances over a period of time.
Factors to assess before purchasing an educational ERP
Now that we know about the benefits that an educational ERP system can bring to the table, the question has changed from “whether to invest in an ERP?” to “Which ERP is the best?”
An educational ERP system is a purchase that costs not only money but also time. Therefore, an ERP system must have the following attributes.
1) Post implementation support
2) Adding new functionality
3) Training and hand holding
4) Quick roll out
5) Low maintenance cost
6) Data security and upgrades
7) Customization and integration
8) Technology Stack
Impact of pandemic and role of an ERP
The Covid-19 pandemic was a challenge to all educational institutions to carry out their functions and processes. The pandemic showed us the importance of online approach in education. Classes became online. Important meetings were held online. So were the exams. Institutions using an ERP system were able to carry out all these functions seamlessly without any hassles. Those who did not have an ERP system in place, struggled to keep up. They understood the need for such a system that can make their functions a lot simpler. As a result more and more Institutions began investing in educational ERP systems.
Conclusion
Now as we move ahead amidst the pandemic, the new academic year is on the anvil. It is time to welcome a future proof system that brings in the best of experience for the Institutions. Therefore, implementation of an Educational ERP has become more of a need than a want for Institutions. Even after the pandemic ends, the need for such a system will be huge as Institutions will look for a system to make their processes automated, productive and more efficient.
