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In most parts of the country, parents must spend money, travelling long distances to the school or bank to pay school fees, PTA contributions, or other school-related fees. While travelling or waiting in lines at schools or banks, parents miss opportunities to make money at their jobs, farms, shops or market.
Schools equally face difficulties and expenses trying to account for all school fee payments, follow up on missing payments, and track hundreds of paper receipts, especially where parents make multiple payments in a term. This can in extreme cases prevent children from being in the class due to misplaced evidence of fee payments.
In 2016, a local Ugandan company called Service Cops Limited embarked on a journey to address these challenges by leveraging on technology to roll out this digital solution known as School Pay.
What is SchoolPay?
SchoolPay is a universal school fees platform that enables parents/guardians make school fees payments conveniently
through multiple channels using unique student numbers. The payment system integrates the student identification numbers to the respective institutions’ bank accounts which allows real-time settlement of fees collections from all the various channels to the School Bank Accounts.
In addition, school administrators are provided access to a free web portal/dashboard to have a real-time aggregated view of all payments made from various channels supported in the school.
The portal also helps to register new students and manage existing ones, print receipts, set fees bills, block or allow part payments. SchoolPay can be used by educational institutions at all levels; from Day Care Centers all the way to Universities in both Rural and Urban settings.
How does the System Work?
Learner details are captured in the SchoolPay system and each learner is issued with a unique student code. If a school already has its own unique student number in place, these are maintained or may slightly be modified to suit system needs. The school also issues codes to parents/guardians who can then pay through a number of multiple channels.
Payment Channels
- MTN MOMO/ Airtel Money: Using any registered mobile phone, dial *165*80# for MTN MoMo or *185*62# and then enter the student code and follow the prompts. Parents are advised to confirm the School and Student details before authorising payment with their mobile money PIN.
- SchoolPay App: Download the SchoolPay Uganda App to Pay
- SchoolPay Website: Visit https://schoopay.co.ug, select pay school fees and follow the prompts.
- WhatsApp Chatbot: Send a Hi to +256 773 676 857 and a menu will pop up for you to proceed.
- Agency Banking/Banking Hall: Depending on the school’s banker, parents/guardians can walk to any agent or branch outlet of their school’s bank and simply present the student code and the amount to pay.
- Mobile Banking: Where applicable, parents/guardians with bank accounts within the same bank as their school may pay school fees using funds in their account via the bank’s mobile wallet option. Simply dial your bank’s mobile wallet short code or App, authenticate, and navigate to the SchoolPay option. Enter your student’s code and follow prompts.
Others include PayWay and Interswitch platforms.