Even when their campuses are closed due to the continued threat of COVID-19, schools can still fully operate through the use of an effective management system assisted by technology.
Edusuite, a school management system provider, offers a solution to schools affected by the disruptions created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“What we want the schools to know is that there’s a solution out there for them to be able to manage their schools remotely and more effectively,” said Edusuite co-founder Niel Dagondon in a media conference via Zoom on Wednesday, July 29.
Through its school management system, Edusuite has been digitally transforming schools to respond better to current and future needs for efficient campus administration amid the pandemic.
New education landscape
The pandemic, Dagondon said, has accelerated digital transformation across all sectors and the education system is catching up as many schools digitize their operation.
“This year, we’ve achieved our target to help over 25,000 students across 10 schools or more,” he explained. “However, because of the COVID-19 situation, many more schools are in need of our solution,” he added.
To address these concerns, Dagondon explained that Edusuite offers a school management system that moves operations to the cloud so schools can manage student information and grading, scheduling, online enrollment, statement of accounts, faculty load, and clearances, among many others.
Dagondon said that the company's software analyzes data that schools from K-12 to colleges can use in their planning and operations.
Utilizing smart algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) -- which is the first in the country -- the “software helps administrators, faculty, and students optimize their school’s available resources.”
To date, Dagondon said that there are at least 15 schools that are using Edusuite which include Ateneo High School, CIIT College of Arts and Technology, Benedictine International School, International British Academy, King’s College of the Philippines, Sumulong College of Arts and Sciences, and Batangas Eastern Colleges.
Recently, the Sacred Heart Academy in Pasig City, University of San Agustin in Iloilo City, and Joji Ilagan Bian Career Foundation Center in Davao City and General Santos City also signed up.
For Sacred Heart Academy of Pasig assistant director for finance Patricia Mauricio, the pandemic made the school realize that it needs digital solutions.
“It has been an extraordinarily challenging time for us since we never relied on any management system as we were used to a face-to-face approach,” she added.
Now that educational institutions encourage hybrid learning, the use of automation becomes more essential to school management.
“When a very smart system allocates your classrooms, faculty members, and students in a very efficient manner, it allows the school to utilize all its physical facilities and talent pool,” said the president of CIIT College of Arts and Technology.
Currently, Edusuite sees the private education system leading the charge in adopting technologies to improve education.
However, Dagondon noted that partnering with the public education system - especially with the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) - is part of the company’s long-term goal.
The company also sees itself working with more schools not only in the country, but also in other emerging markets that have similar issues as the Philippines.
Edusuite is among the first batch of recipients of the Startup Research Grant Program of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) through the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) in 2017.