Plain definitions of the terms principals, accountants and office staff meet when they choose or use school software — from admit cards and fee heads to UDISE+ and the WhatsApp Business API. Each term links to the page that covers it in detail.
The school year a set of classes, fees and exams belongs to, for example April to March. Good school software keeps every past session searchable after promotion. More →
A record of a parent’s interest in a seat before admission, with the class asked for, the source and a follow-up date. More →
The card a student carries into an exam, with photo, roll number and subjects; school software prints them in bulk from the exam setup. More →
A unique student ID introduced by the Government of India under the National Education Policy to keep a student’s academic records together across schools.
The month-wise record of each student’s presence; in school software it builds itself from daily marking, with Sundays and holidays marked. More →
Attendance recorded by a fingerprint or face device instead of a register; punches sync into the school software. More →
CBSE’s rank-based grading for Classes X and XII, where grades depend on a student’s position among those who passed, instead of fixed mark bands. More →
The parts of a student’s progress outside marks, such as art, sports, values and life skills, graded on report cards and holistic progress cards. More →
A reduction in fees for a student, such as a sibling or staff-ward concession; good software needs an approval before a concession applies. More →
The daily record of money received and paid; in school software, fee receipts post to it automatically. More →
The slip pasted on an exam desk showing which student sits there; printed with the admit cards. More →
The list of students with fees outstanding, used for reminders; in Schoolyam it can send WhatsApp and SMS reminders with payment links. More →
Employees’ Provident Fund and Employees’ State Insurance, the statutory deductions a school calculates from staff salaries. More →
One part of a fee structure, such as tuition, transport, exam or computer fee, charged per class and per month. More →
The full set of fee heads, amounts and months for each class in a session. More →
An extra amount charged when fees are paid after the due date, as a flat amount or by months overdue. More →
Permission recorded at the school gate for a visitor to enter, or for a student or staff member to leave early. More →
The NEP-style report card that records attendance, remarks and co-scholastic growth along with marks. More →
A chapter-wise plan of what each teacher will teach and when, compared with what was actually taught. More →
Software for online lessons, assignments and tests; it covers learning, not the school office. More →
A management information report, such as collection, dues, strength or attendance, that the principal and management use to decide. More →
A mobile app parents use to see fees, attendance, homework and results; Schoolyam publishes it in the school’s own name. More →
The service that processes an online payment by UPI, card or netbanking and sends the money to the school’s bank account. More →
Calculating staff salaries each month from salary structure, attendance, leave and statutory deductions, and issuing payslips. More →
Moving students to the next class at the start of a new session; good software promotes a whole class in one step and keeps the old session. More →
Proof of a fee payment, numbered in series; online and counter receipts should share one series. More →
Attendance recorded when a student’s RFID card is read at the gate; walk-through readers need no tapping. More →
Giving each staff login only the screens its job needs, such as fees for the accountant and one class for a class teacher. More →
Enterprise resource planning for a school: one system where admissions, fees, attendance, exams, transport, payroll and parent communication share the same records. More →
Another name for school ERP or school management software: the software that runs a school’s daily work in one place. More →
Connecting brothers and sisters in the student records so family-wise fees, concessions and messages work automatically. More →
The part of school software that holds each student’s record: profile, parents, documents, health and history. More →
The scholar register or admission number that identifies a student in the school’s admission register. More →
Assigning a free teacher to cover an absent teacher’s periods for the day. More →
Sending the school’s accounts from the school software into Tally, the accounting software many chartered accountants use. More →
The certificate a school issues when a student leaves; school software generates it from the student record. More →
A tool that builds a clash-free timetable from subjects, teachers and period limits. More →
A second password asked for before money-related actions, such as cancelling a receipt. More →
The Ministry of Education’s national school data system, for which schools submit student and school details every year. More →
India’s instant bank-to-bank payment system, the way most parents now pay school fees online. More →
Meta’s official way for an organisation to send WhatsApp messages from a verified business name. More →
We add terms as schools ask about them. Missing a word? Message the sales team on WhatsApp and we will explain it and add it here.
Choosing software? Start with our guide to the best school management software and ERP in India, or see what a school management system includes.
