Getting Started with Student Fee Management

Getting Started with Student Fee Management

1. Logging In:

• • Access the desktop application via the remote app client or AVD client.
  • Log in with your credentials.

2. Accessing the Billing Menu:

• • Select Billing from the main menu bar.
  • The billing menu includes several options: Banks, Fees, Sponsors, Generate Bills, Print Vouchers, Print Statement of Account, Receive Fees, Accounts Maintenance, and Reports.

3. Defining Banks:

• Navigate to Main menu > Billing > Banks.
• Define the banks by specifying the bank name, branch, address, transit/branch number, and account number.

This step is crucial as fees collected are deposited into these defined banks.

4. Defining Fees:

• Go to Main menu > Billing > Fees > Add.
• Fill in the required fields: description, bank account (fetched from bank definition), frequency (one time, term, year), grade level from and to, student type, voucher name, and checkboxes (charge to all, subsidized by sponsor, separate voucher).

The fee management solution is designed to automate the billing needs of schools, allowing for detailed fee definitions. Fees can be specified for different year groups and student types (e.g., boarding vs. day students) and can be grouped into vouchers for different purposes (e.g., PTA, Goods & Services, Parents Contributions).

5. Automating Fee Application:

• • To charge fees to all students within a specified year group and student type, tick the checkbox charge to all students.
  • Add new fees as needed and save changes by closing the window/form.

6. Specifying Fee Amounts:

• Once all fees are defined, specify the period and amount to be charged.
• In the Bill Fees window/form, select each fee and enter the applicable amount under Rate.

• • Repeat for all fees and close the window to save changes.

7. Managing Sponsors:

• • Refer to the complete article on sponsorship management: [Guide for Managing Sponsorships within the Billing Module].

8. Generating Fees:

• Navigate to Main menu > Billing > Generate Fees.
• During the generation process, the platform pulls all active students and applies the defined fees based on academic period, year group, frequency, and student type.

• • The process can be run multiple times without duplicating fees, as the platform checks if a fee has already been applied.

9. Printing Vouchers

Overview

The Print Voucher form allows users to print fee vouchers for students. These vouchers provide a detailed breakdown of the fees charged and are essential for transparency and record-keeping.

Fields and Functions

• Printer:

  • Name: Dropdown to select the printer.
  • Properties: Button to adjust printer properties.

• Voucher:

  • Account: Dropdown to select the account for which the voucher is printed.
  • Year: Dropdown to select the academic year.
  • Term: Dropdown to select the term (e.g., Summer).
  • Name: Dropdown to select the name of the voucher.

• Print Range:

  • All: Option to print vouchers for all students.
  • Students: Option to print vouchers for a specific range of students by entering student IDs in the From and To fields.
  • ClassID: Option to print vouchers for a specific range of classes by entering class IDs in the From and To fields.

• Additional Options:

  • Show fee Details: Checkbox to include detailed fee breakdown in the voucher.
  • Show class: Checkbox to include class information in the voucher.
  • Show amount payable: Checkbox to display the total amount payable in the voucher.

Usage

1. Select the appropriate printer from the Name dropdown and configure printer properties if needed.
2. Choose the account, academic year, term, and voucher name from their respective dropdowns.
3. Select the print range:
   • Choose All to print vouchers for all students.
   • Choose Students and specify the range to print for specific students.
   • Choose ClassID and specify the range to print for specific classes.
4. Optionally, tick the checkboxes to include fee details, class information, and the total amount payable.
5. Click Ok to print the vouchers or Cancel to exit without printing.

10. Receiving Fees

Overview

The Receive Fees form is used to record payments made by students towards their fees. This form ensures that all payments are accurately documented and applied to the respective student accounts.

Fields and Functions

• Student:

  • Student: Dropdown to select the student making the payment.
  • Name: Displays the name of the selected student.
  • Date: Field to enter the date of the payment.
  • Amount: Field to enter the amount being paid.

• Payment Method:

  • Method: Dropdown to select the payment method (e.g., Deposit).
  • Account: Dropdown to select the bank account where the payment will be deposited.
  • Reference: Field to enter any reference information for the payment.

• Apply to Account:

  • List of vouchers with columns for voucher number, date, amount due, description, amount paid, and a checkbox to select for payment.
  • Prepayment: Checkbox to indicate if the payment is a prepayment.

• Buttons:

  • New: Button to create a new payment entry.
  • Open: Button to open an existing payment entry.
  • Save: Button to save the current payment entry.
  • Print: Button to print the payment receipt.
  • Delete: Button to delete the current payment entry.

Usage

1. Select the student from the Student dropdown or search for the student using the search icon.
2. The student's name will be displayed automatically.
3. Enter the date of the payment and the amount being paid.
4. Select the payment method and the bank account.
5. Enter any reference information for the payment.
6. In the Apply to Account section, select the vouchers to which the payment should be applied.
7. If the payment is a prepayment, check the Prepayment box.
8. Use the New, Open, Save, Print, and Delete buttons as needed to manage the payment entry.

11. Printing Statement of Account

Overview

The Print Statement of Account form allows users to print statements showing a detailed account of fees charged, payments made, and the current balance for each student. This is crucial for transparency and financial tracking.

Fields and Functions

• Printer:

  • Name: Dropdown to select the printer.
  • Properties: Button to adjust printer properties.

• Filter:

  • Year: Dropdown to select the academic year.
  • Term: Dropdown to select the term (e.g., Christmas).
  • Voucher: Dropdown to filter by voucher.
  • Student: Dropdown to filter by student.
  • ClassID: Dropdown to filter by class ID.
  • GradeLevel: Dropdown to filter by grade level.

• Options:

  • Show zero balances: Checkbox to include accounts with zero balances in the statement.
  • Statement Date: Field to enter the date of the statement.
  • Publish to myschooljamaica.com: Checkbox to publish the statement online.

Usage

1. Select the appropriate printer from the Name dropdown and configure printer properties if needed.
2. Set the filters for year, term, voucher, student, class ID, and grade level as needed.
3. Optionally, check the Show zero balances box to include accounts with zero balances.
4. Enter the statement date.
5. Optionally, check the Publish to myschooljamaica.com box to make the statement available online.
6. Click Ok to print the statement or Cancel to exit without printing.

Conclusion

MySchoolJamaica’s student fee management feature simplifies the billing process for schools, ensuring accurate and automated fee application. The platform’s detailed forms and reports ensure comprehensive management of all aspects of student fees. Stay tuned for the migration of these features to the web application, making fee management even more accessible and efficient.

Feel free to provide additional screenshots or details about specific functions and features you'd like to highlight, and I'll incorporate them into the article.