Glossary

An academic term is a defined period within the academic year during which instruction takes place, assessments are conducted, and academic records are maintained, typically followed by a holiday break.

Attendance tracking is the systematic recording and monitoring of whether students (and staff) are present, absent, or late for each scheduled class or school day, generating data used for reports, parent communication, and regulatory compliance.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education refers to the application of machine learning, natural language processing, and data analytics technologies within educational platforms to automate administrative tasks, personalise learning, generate insights from student data, and assist educators in decision-making.

An audit log is a chronological, tamper-evident record of all significant actions performed within a software system, capturing who did what, when, and from which device, providing an accountable history for security, compliance, and dispute resolution.

An academic calendar is the officially scheduled timeline for an educational institution's year, defining term start and end dates, examination periods, public holidays, school events, and vacation breaks used to organise all academic and administrative activity.

Biometric attendance is the use of unique physical identifiers — most commonly fingerprints or facial recognition — to automatically verify and record the presence of students or staff, eliminating manual sign-in and the possibility of proxy attendance.

Continuous Assessment (CA) is a structured evaluation method in which a student's academic performance is measured through multiple assessments spread throughout a term or year — including tests, classwork, homework, and projects — rather than relying solely on a single final examination.

Cloud computing is the delivery of computing services — including software applications, data storage, and processing power — over the internet from remote data centres, eliminating the need for schools to manage physical servers on their premises.

Data migration is the process of transferring existing records — student profiles, academic histories, fee ledgers, and staff data — from one storage system (paper, spreadsheets, or legacy software) to a new school management platform, including the cleaning, formatting, and validation required to ensure accuracy.

A digital report card is an electronically generated student academic report produced by a school management system that consolidates continuous assessment scores, examination results, attendance data, and teacher remarks into a formatted document that can be printed or shared digitally with parents.

A Learning Management System (LMS) is a software platform that enables the creation, delivery, and tracking of educational content and online learning activities, allowing teachers to distribute materials, set assignments, and monitor student engagement digitally.

Multi-tenant architecture is a software design model in which a single instance of an application serves multiple distinct customers (tenants), with each customer's data fully isolated and invisible to other customers, all sharing the same underlying infrastructure.

Mobile Money is a digital payment system that allows users to send, receive, and store money using a basic mobile phone without requiring a bank account, widely used across Africa for transactions including school fee payments.

A parent portal is a secure online interface within a school management system that allows parents and guardians to view their child's academic records, attendance, fee balances, and school communications in real time, without needing to visit the school office.

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) is a security model in which a user's access to data and system functions is determined by their assigned role (e.g., teacher, bursar, headteacher) rather than by individual permissions granted per user.

A Student Information System (SIS) is a software platform that centralises the management of student demographic data, academic records, enrolment history, attendance, and guardian information for a school or educational institution.

A School ERP is an integrated software suite that unifies all administrative and operational functions of a school — including finance, HR, payroll, inventory, and academic management — into a single connected platform.

School billing and invoicing refers to the process of generating formal financial statements that detail the fees owed by each student for a given term, including tuition, boarding, transport, and other levies, which are then tracked through payment and used to produce official receipts.

A School Management System (SMS) is a software platform that automates and centralises the core administrative and academic operations of a school, including student records, attendance, examinations, fee management, and communication.

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) is a security mechanism that requires users to verify their identity through two separate methods — typically a password plus a one-time code sent to their phone — before gaining access to a system.