2019

School Management
Software Proposal
FOR COUNTERHOUSE CONSULTANTS LIMITED
PREPARED BY CHIBUZO OKOLO
Contents
Executive Summary....................................................................................................................................... 2
Project Background ....................................................................................................................................... 3
Objectives ..................................................................................................................................................... 3
Project Development Process ....................................................................................................................... 3
 Information Gathering: ..................................................................................................................... 3
 Design and Implementation: ............................................................................................................ 4
 Testing and Delivery:......................................................................................................................... 4
 Documentation, Final Delivery and Handover: ................................................................................. 4
Key Features.................................................................................................................................................. 4
Project Delivery Plan ..................................................................................................................................... 9
 Phase one (for primary and secondary schools) ............................................................................. 10
 Phase two (Tertiary institution) ...................................................................................................... 10
Deployment ................................................................................................................................................ 11
Testing ......................................................................................................................................................... 11
Training ....................................................................................................................................................... 12
Documentation ........................................................................................................................................... 12
Deliverables, Duration and Cost ................................................................................................................. 13
Payment Terms ........................................................................................................................................... 15
Next Steps ................................................................................................................................................... 15
Contact ........................................................................................................................................................ 16

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Executive Summary
School management software is not a new invention, however, finding the right solution has
been a challenge most learning institutions still face today.
Hardly can any school afford to invest in a custom built school management system, hence
available solutions are such that it can be customized during initial setup to fit a particular
school requirements.
Counterhouse Consultants Limited has the need for a modern school management software
that can fit into the academic administration of various primary, secondary and tertiary
institutions in Nigeria.
This proposal is offering to develop from ground up, a school management software
customizable enough to fit into primary, secondary and tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
The solution will be:

 Implemented using open source technologies. This ensures that the software doesn’t
incur software licensing fees.
 Web based with conventional and intuitive user-friendly interface highly optimized for
mobile, tablet and desktop screen sizes.
 Highly customizable to fit into any primary, secondary and tertiary institutions in Nigeria
 Secured enough to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive tasks and data like bill
payment and results respectively.
The proposed software will be built from scratch while in frequent communication with
Counterhouse Consultants Limited to ensure that all the important features are implemented
exactly as intended.
The development of this project if approved, would be divided into two phases. Phase one will
focus on tertiary institutions, while phase two would focus on primary and secondary schools.
This makes for easier testing and early feedback.
This project when completed, can be installed for any primary, secondary or tertiary institution
in Nigeria. It would be able to accommodate various designated staff in the schools and grant
access privileges according to foster and automate various academic activities, and also
improve record and keeping and overall file management within a school.

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Project Background
Counterhouse Consultants Limited intends to invest in a custom-built school management
software for primary, secondary and tertiary institutions.
The desired software must be configurable and customizable to suit and meet the unique
organizational and operational requirements of the client schools. It is expected that different
schools would opt for different features which would be implemented as modules, and hence
it’s necessary that these feature modules can easily be added or removed during the initial
software setup or from the configuration page.

Objectives
School management software is popular and can be easily found, but it’s very difficult to find
one that is done well, or one that can easily fit into popular school administration processes.
This project aims to build from ground up a modern school management software which would
be easy to install, setup and use. The completion of this project will result in a customized web
based school Management system that can:

 Be deployed for various primary, secondary or tertiary institutions

 Configurable enough to fit into divers academic administration
 Operate smoothly on mobile and tablet devices as well as desktop computers
 Greatly reduce the use of stationeries for school administration
 Improve record keeping and file management for school systems
 Serve as a platform where teachers/lecturers and student can interact profitably
 Provide a means for parents or sponsors to view their child/ward’s academic
performances
 Facility payment of schools fees through online channels
 Automates various academic activities like transcripts, results and grading etc.
 Reports on academic activities and student performances

Project Development Process

For a collaborative and progressive project development, Counterhouse Consultants Limited
would be kept in the loop at each development phase of this project. The development process
will follow thus:

 Information Gathering:
It is assumed that only a rough idea of what needs to be done is known at the moment,
hence the first step would be to sit together and discuss about the tiny intricacies of each
feature and agree exactly on how it is going to work and be delivered.

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 To ensure a one for all solution for schools, we’ll use at least two or more case studies
about the running and administration of some popular tertiary institutions. This would be
necessary for the initial setup and configuration of the software at the installation stage for
each particular institution.

 Design and Implementation:

At this stage, the look and feel and the UI components would be created. The database
design and the actual coding will take place. If during this stage anything becomes clearer or
needs to be alter as against what has already been agreed, relevant parties would be duly
informed and carried along.

 Testing and Delivery:

At the completion of each phase of this project, an automated test would be run on all
functional units to ensure there are no errors, and that each functional unit meets its
functional specification.
The phase would then be delivered to Counterhouse Consultants Limited, and possibly
installed on a web server for demonstration and further testing.

 Documentation, Final Delivery and Handover:

The last phase will include testing with real data, final modifications and documentation.
The completion of this phase would be handing over the entire project to Counterhouse
Consultants Limited and signing off.

Key Features
The key features required for the system will be implemented as modules
The following modules will be built into the systems:
1. Installation, Setup And Configuration:
 Choose school category (Tertiary, Secondary or Primary)
 Multiple campus setup
 Setup school details like name, contact, logo etc.
 Creation of classes (for primary and secondary), setting fail, pass and promotion criteria
 Creation of sessions and semester, setting minimum required and maximum credit
units accordingly
 Set school CGP/grading system
 Ability to import spreadsheet containing various user data, like admission list etc.
2. User Module:
 Create new user with login details
 Delegate and revoke user roles and privileges

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  Create and manage user hierarchy for offices/departments
 Can disable, modify user data/role, (soft) delete existing users
3. Academic Programme module:
 Create academic programmes with graduation requirements
 Manage programme specific settings for repeating failed course(s), probation and
promotion at the end of each academic session
 Can add or remove academic programme to/from faculty
 Can add or remove courses to/from academic programme
4. Course/subject Module:
 Create course, modify existing course
 Add or remove course to/from an academic programme/class
 Setup officers (HOD, Faculty officer) with the privilege to approve course result
 Can assign or remove subject from a class
 Mark out subjects for secondary schools (JS, SS, science, arts etc.)
5. Student Module:
 Handle student admission/registration process
 Student can pause and resume their registration process with a temporal application ID
 Manage student’s data e.g. Bio data, health, hotel etc.
 Ability to transfer student from one department (academic programme) to another
within the boundaries of the defined settings from both academic programmes
 Possibility of deferring student’s admission and resuming at a later date
 Should promote qualified students at the end of each academic session
 Can make student inactive or (soft) delete/rusticate student from the system
 Basic query functions e.g. find student’s current class/level, sponsor etc.
6. Student Dashboard:
 Notification/Messages
 School/programme calendar, can create and manage calendar/timetable
 Course registration
 Access/download assignment, upload/submit assignment
 Can access and print out course materials/subject notes etc.
 View and printout semester and session results
 Payments: school fees, accommodation and other bills. Can download/printout
receipts.
 Request for library access
 Can send complaints, feedbacks, dispute result or assessment score etc.
7. Lecturer/Teacher Dashboard:
 Notifications/Messages
 Calendar, create/manage lecture timetable
 Create and manage classes/courses

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  Create, upload, view/download assignment
 Add lesson plan, topic list/syllabus for each course
 Upload and manage course/subject notes and other related soft materials
 Course registration, accept/reject with reason
8. Dean Dashboard:
 School calendar
 Tabular and graphical reports on academic programmes, general and individual reports
on applications, semester and full session performances
 Tabular and graphical reports on courses, available lecturers and registered students,
ration of lecturer to students, result performance etc.
 View course registration and performance metrics
9. Parent/Guardian Dashboard/module:
 Add, edit or remove parent
 Parent can pay child/children’s fees
 Can view and download child/children’s assessments, results and certificates
 Can receive notification/messages
 Can view child’s transcript, or transcript request status and progress
 Can post feedbacks, complaints and recommendations
10. Result/Assessment Module:
 Setup CGPA with class of degree
 Compute and generate results using assignments, assessments and exam scores
 Can import already computed scores from spreadsheet and generate results from it
 Can download and email result
 Set up physical assessment parameters
 Ability for head teachers, principals etc. to add comment or remark to results
 Ability to print out report for each examiner
 Send notification to parents/guardian when results are published
11. School Calendar and Timetable module:
 Create calendar for session, semester/term etc.
 Can add, edit and remove event from calendar
 Calendar can be viewed as read-only by other users
 Can create, modify or remove timetable
 Lecturer/teacher timetable can be shared with students
 Can import existing timetable from spreadsheet.
 Can generate and export class timetable
12. Hostel Management:
 Can add hostel, setup with name, capacity, campus location
 Ability to partition hostel by flats/floors and setup allocation criteria

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  Allocate space to students based on available space (maybe using academic level,
faculty, department, flats etc.)
 Allow for special consideration/preference in allocation (e.g. for physically challenged
students etc.)
 Can view active hostels, individual rooms and their occupants
 Generate reports on each hotels, capacity, active/inactive rooms, available bed spaces
etc.
 Record notable student’s hostel activities like misconducts, damages etc.
 Facilitate hostel clearance, payment for damages and outstanding fees, and printing of
clearance forms/receipt.
13. Virtual Classroom:
 Can carry out real-time discussion among all class members
 Ability to create live sessions and upload files (text, audio)
 Can save and reload previous class sessions and related resources
 Display all class members, indicate those currently online
 Basic alert/notifications on class activities like new message, new file, online/offline
actions
 Lecturer can moderate class activities and content
14. Payment Module:
 Create bill/payables
 Can accept payments in installments
 Can process payments through online payment gateways like Interswitch or Paystack
etc.
 Generation of payment list/report for various bills
 Can sort incomplete and completed payments, outstanding etc.
 Send notification on new fee creation, fee payment, late payment notice, overdue
payments etc.
15. Transcript Module:
 Accepts request for transcript
 Can fetch pending transcript request, processing requests, completed requests and
canceled request
 Track transcript processing activities, update the status and notify the student
 Ability to fetch and sort all the courses taken by any graduated student and their
respective results by sessions/semester.
16. Email, Messaging And Notification Module:
 Can send emails (results, payment receipts etc.)
 Ability to send and receive messages within the platform (compose, inbox, sent)
17. Attendance Module:
 Take daily attendance
 Can import attendance data from spreadsheet
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  Can export attendance data to spreadsheet
 Ability to use biometric device to take attendance
 Generate weekly, monthly and termly attendance and general reports
18. Classroom Manager:
 Ability to add and setup an existing physical classrooms
 Ability to fix or remove a lecture period from a classroom time slot and send
notifications to both students and lecturers where appropriate
 A daily graphic view of classroom schedules for faculty and department
19. Computer Based Test (CBT):
 Create new test, add questions manually and import questions from spreadsheet.
 Can set publish date at a future time after creating a test.
 Tests, quiz or assessments will be timed.
 Send notification to affected students when a lecturer creates a test, assessment or
quiz.
 Ability to view students test results from the lecturer’s (any other school official e.g. the
faculty or department can also view students results from the CBT if they which to)
dashboard.
 Students would be able to take a CBT from their dashboard using a PC, tablet or mobile
device.
 Test result might be shown to students immediately after the test (as the grading
would be automated) or at a later time. This can be setup while creating the test.
 A student’s test result or an entire test result can be cancelled.
20. Guidance and Counselling Unit:
 This feature will use the Help Desk Module (under the hood), but with the office set to
Guidance and Counselling Unit.
 The Counsellor can schedule an appointment with a student using the event calendar.
 There would be notifications and messages based on this for both the Counsellor and
the students.
 A Counsellor can view a student profile and academic performances.
21. Help Desk Module:
 Parents and students can send in a feedback, complaint or suggestion.
 The Help Desk can be partition to include various offices like faculty, department,
administration etc. Hence feedbacks can be sent to them directly.
 Complaints would have to be managed as threads to allow for easy treatment and
resolution while keeping everything in one place.
 Feedbacks would have a status to indicate where attention is still needed etc.
 Users/staff can be assigned to look into a feedback and to possibly follow it up and
resolve it.
 Ability to sort feedbacks by category/departments/office, status, assignees etc.
 Can send notifications when the status of feedbacks change.
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22. General Administration and Management Unit:
 Handles portal settings and configurations
 Handle User Module
 Can access Help Desk
 Send general notifications, messages etc.
 Can schedule meetings and notify affected parties
 Can setup and manage school calendar and events
 Can view and manage all students and parents data.
23. Library Management Module:
 Will have a book catalog. Can add, edit and delete book from the catalog.
 Can search for books by title, author, ISBN etc.
 Facilitate book lending and returns
 Send book return notice.
 Reports on book history, student’s library activities.
 Clearance checkup routine.
24. Transportation Module:
 Ability to create routes and set fare.
 Can add vehicles, possibly assign to routes (where that applies).
 Can generate, view, print or export route statistics,
 Can show students eligibility to use the system by transportation fee status (where it
applies).
 Can add drivers, possibly assign a vehicle to drivers (where that applies).
 Can view a driver’s activities/reports.
 Ability to record vehicle maintenance activities, show periodic maintenance costs per
vehicles, drivers etc.
25. Mobile Application:
 Mobile application would be two. One for students, the other for lecturers. It would be
able to handle all the features under their respective dashboards.

Project Delivery Plan

The academic structure of primary and secondary schools in Nigeria are similar to each other,
but that of tertiary institutions are entirely different. For that reason this project would be
divided into two phases. Phase one would deliver for primary and secondary schools while
phase two would deliver for tertiary institutions. This is necessary not to complicate the
solution further than necessary. More so, it ensures a cheaper, faster hosting and running
respectively, while making the maintenance easier and cheaper too.

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 Phase one (for primary and secondary schools)
This phase will be divided into two milestones. At the completion of each milestone, it
would be delivered for testing and review. At this stage, modifications would be handled if
any. The completion of this phase would mark the completion for the primary and
secondary school management software. However, optional modules like the CBT might still
be added eventually when it must have been done at the second phase.
The first milestone will take about 6 weeks to complete.
Modules/features to be delivered on completion of the first milestone would include:

 Installation, Setup And Configuration

 Admin Dashboard
 User module
 Course/subject module
 Student module
 Student dashboard
 Payment module
The second milestone will take about 4 weeks to be completed.
Modules/features to be delivered on completion of the second milestone would include:

 Teachers module/dashboard
 Parent/guardian dashboard
 Attendance module
 Result and Assessment module
 School calendar and Timetable
 Email and Messaging

 Phase two (Tertiary institution)

This phase would be divided into three milestones. At the completion of each milestone, it
would be delivered for testing and review. The first milestone would include the core
modules for managing a tertiary institution.
The first milestone will take about 6 weeks to complete
Modules/features to be delivered on completion of this milestone would include:

 Installation, Setup And Configuration

 User module
 Academic Programmme module
 Course management module
 Student module

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  Student dashboard
 Payment module

The second milestone will take about 7 weeks to be completed

Modules/features to be delivered on completion of the second milestone would include:

 Lecturer dashboard
 School calendar and Timetable
 Parent/guardian dashboard
 Dean’s dashboard
 Result and Assessment module
 Hostel Management
 Computer Based Test
 Help Desk
The third milestone will take about 4 weeks to be completed
Modules/features to be delivered on completion of the first milestone would include:

 Virtual Classroom
 Transcript Module
 Email and Messaging
 Library Management Module
 Transportation Module
 Documentation

Deployment
The entire project with all the source codes and libraries used would be submitted to
Counterhouse Consultants Limited with detailed instruction on the installation, setup and initial
configuration. However, it can be deployed on a provided cloud hosting service on request.

Testing
Test-Driven Development (TDD) would be employed in the development of the system to
ensure that each unit adding up as the implementation for features complies to the desired
requirements. These automated test would also be used to ensure that new additions or
modification to the system doesn’t break existing features.

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When delivered, the software will again be tested manually to ensure that the implemented
features are exposed enough for smooth, friendly and intuitive user interaction.
It’s recommended that testing continues even after the software has been put to use by an
actual client as a new system isn’t likely to be perfect from the first delivery to actual users.
During this phase, you and/or your clients can give feedback concerning the software.
Modifications and fixes would be applied to the software if found wanting on any of the agreed
features or implementation.

Training
This software would be easy to use as acceptable, popular, clean and intuitive user interface
and experience approach would be duly followed from the onset while building it.
However, it is expected that your staff may have some questions and need some clarity as this
would be a software they’ve never used or administered before. No downplay is be made about
the complexity involved in the installation and setup of the software as it highly configurable as
to fit more than one school’s administrative structure, hence arrangements would be for
relevant parties to meet and familiarize themselves with the software.

Documentation
This project would require proper documentation. There would be a general documentation on
the project objectives and the software features. There would also be a documentation for the
sources. This would improve in the training and management of the project.

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Deliverables, Duration and Cost
Below is a tabular representation of the key deliverables, their individual duration, and cost

S/No Modules/Item description Duration Cost (NGN)

1 Mockup: User interface & user experience (UI/UX). 1 Weeks 200,000

Development, styling and formatting of reusable UI
components

2 Database design and implementation, including entity 2 weeks 400,000

relationship diagrams

3 Installation, Setup And Configuration 2 weeks 400,000

4 User Module 2 weeks 400,000

5 Academic Programme module 1 week 200,000

6 Course/subject Module 7 days 240,000

7 Student Module 2 weeks 400,000

8 Student Dashboard 1 week 200,000

9 Lecturer Dashboard 8 days 250,000

10 Dean’s Dashboard 8 days 300,000

11 Result Module 7 days 280,000

12 Hostel Management 3 weeks 600,000

13 Virtual Classroom 21/2 Weeks 500,000

14 Payment Module 2 weeks 400,000

15 Transcript Module 1 week 120,000

16 Email and Messaging Module. 1 week 200,000

17 School calendar and timetable 1 week 200,000

18 Attendance module 4 days 100,000

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 19 Parent/Guardian Module 4 days 100,000

20 Classroom Manager 3 days 50,000

21 Computer Based Test (CBT) 1 week 200,000

22 Guidance and Counselling Unit 1 day Free

23 Help Desk 3 days 60,000

24 General Administration and Management Unit 4 days Free

25 Library Management Module 3 days 60,000

26 Transportation Module 1 week 180,000

27 Mobile App (Android and IOS) - -

28 Documentation 4 Weeks 300,000

Total: 8 Months 6,200,000

This project would take approximately eight months be completed.

Kindly note that server setup/configuration, software installation and hosting costs are not
included in the above costing.

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Payment Terms

ITEM AMOUNT

1. Mobilization Fee, upon acceptance 30% of total sum

and signing of MoU

2. On completion and delivery of Phase 30% of total sum

one

3. On completion and delivery of Phase 20% of total sum

two

4. On completion phase, final delivery 20% of total sum

and signoff

Next Steps
 Accept the proposal as-is
 Reach out to me to discuss desired changes
I’ll be happy to make changes to the project scope on Counterhouse Consultants Limited’
request at any time, but may be subject to additional billing depending on what needs to be
done.

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Contact
I’ll be willing to discuss further concerning your requirements, mode of operations, pricing and
terms.
I hope to hear from you soon.

Chibuzo
08035725606
chibuzo.henry@gmail.com

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