Colleges are academic institutions for higher education. Almost every person has an idea of what a college is and what its function is in society. A college may be for higher education, but the structure of a college administration is essentially the same as that of a school. The college administration consists of a principal, a vice principal, and other administrative staff. The college has different departments which are governed by different Heads of Department (HODs) and each department has professors under them that teach various subjects according to their expertise. These professors, who are almost always under tenure, may also have assistant professors assisting them as well. So, the entire system can be seen as analogous to a school system. Therefore, an ERP system can also help colleges as well. However, let us first get what ERP means for colleges.
What is ERP?
ERP stands for Enterprise Resource Planning. It is a software solution that encompasses all the tools that an institution requires to run smoothly without the requirement of an external agency. All the operations of the institution can hence be monitored, corrected, and executed easily from the locus of control of the ERP.
Now that we have that out of the way, let us understand what ERP means for colleges. For a college, ERP would mean essentially the same as a school ERP, just modified to suit the functions of a college. It would have all the necessary tools and software solutions to operate the college with absolute authority. Teachmint has the following ERP tools that can help colleges manage their operations with absolute ease:
- Fee Management Software
- Attendance Management System
- Student Information System
- Hostel Management Software
- Admission Management Software
- Performance Management
- Library Management
- Certificate Generation
How ERP Helps Colleges
Now that we have an idea of what an ERP does and what its constituent components are, here are some of the ways ERP solutions can help colleges in their own right:
Helps Digitize Operations
The first and foremost advantage of having an ERP software is that it helps digiize the entire process of administration. One of the most annoying and time-consuming aspects of administration is paperwork. In the traditional method, every operation that the college does has to be recorded manually on paper, hence leading to a huge amount of paperwork that takes up a lot of time and energy. This is significantly reduced with the introduction of an ERP system because of the automation that ensues from implementing it. This is
Better Operational Efficiency
With the introduction of digitization into the mix of administration, the overall operational efficiency of the entire system multiplies by a large factor. This is because since all the operations are completely automated or at least partially assisted by the same, all the operations become extremely easy to carry out. For example, let us take the example of admission management. Admissions are a pretty big deal when it comes to colleges and they need to be very careful and precise in who they choose. In the traditional method, the college would receive the applications, go through all of them one by one painstakingly, individually discard ones that do not meet their requirements, and shortlist ones that do. This takes a lot of time, energy and a large nimnber of their workforce. With an ERP system equipped with an admission management system, this becomes simple and manageable as the entire system becomes automated.
The foundation of a properly running institution is its smooth streamlined administration. The better the administration, the more satisfied all the stakeholders will be. So with the adoption of an ERP system to monitor and automate their operations, the entire administrative process becomes smooth and seamless. For example, let us take the example of fee management. In the traditional method, the college will have to keep a record of the people who have paid the fees and keep individual tabs on how much is left for each and every student. With the help of an integrated platform like Teachmint and the fee management system that it offers, it becomes incredibly easy for the administration to keep track of everything related to fees.
Makes Processes Systematic
With the adoption of digital technology into the administration, the process of compartmentalization of activities has also been significantly improved. Here let us take the example of attendance management. College attendance is extremely important to keep track of because it is the time when students tend to bunk classes the most. Traditionally, taking attendance meant that the person in charge of the session was the sole person entrusted with the responsibility of taking attendance and making sure that there is a continued track record of the same throughout the semester and the year. This becomes extremely inconvenient as they can make mistakes and this can lead to discrepancies. This is where a modern ERP system can help. With the help of a well-designed attendance management system like the one offered by Teachmint, the proper tracking of attendance can be maintained.
There are several other advantages that the administrators have with the help of ERP. All aspects of life are moving forward with the advancement of technology, and the education sector is also following suit. Schools, colleges, universities and several other types of educational institutions are putting more emphasis on the use of technology simply because it makes the process easier and simpler, and that is what ultimately matters. Check out Teachmint’s various features here.