School SMS System curbs absenteeism

A web-based SMS communication system at schools is one of the best things to come out of the mobile messaging revolution in Australia. Companies such as the Australian-based SMSengine provide schools, businesses and sports clubs in Australia with this innovative communication solution. No more bunking off school for kids as a SMS text message is automatically sent to the parents if the child is late or does not arrive at school! Schools that have implemented this system have noted a marked decrease in absenteeism and increased parent interaction with the school. It is not only an effective monitoring system but also an early warning alert if the child has encountered difficulties on the way to school.

This bulk text messaging system allows one and two-way communication between the school and parents as well as between staff themselves. The school can directly notify parents of important meetings, dates for parent teacher conferences and ask for confirmation by return SMS of attendance. Besides bypassing the tendency of teenagers not to pass on those important slips to parents, bulk text messaging systems also save on paper and ink. Thus SMS text messaging is cutting costs for the school and saving the environment at the same time!

Other uses that SMS text messaging can be put to include notices about sporting events, wet weather warnings and general reminders. In some countries, such as South Africa, there are even services that will SMS final grades to the pupil and parents if they have signed up to receive them. The great advantage to schools in implementing this kind of system is that there is no capital outlay – the only cost is for text messages sent. If you compare the cost of a text message to the cost of the paper, ink, postage and time taken by administrative staff members, the clear winner is bulk text messaging.

Utilizing two-way SMS text messaging capability also means that parents can get fast answers to school-related questions instead of phoning. These queries can range from sporting venues to exam times. By providing parents with a predetermined coding list and setting up the system with automatic replies, parents can access the system even after school hours. An Australian-based company, 191ASK, provides a comprehensive school news channel that uses existing databases to supply answers to parents most frequently asked questions.

Extending the principle a bit further, bulk SMS text messaging could also be used directly between teachers and students with reminders about projects due and test dates etc. Perhaps taking it a little bit too far, is the recent adoption by some schools of text messaging into language classes where frustrated teachers are trying at the very least to teach students how to text properly. There is no doubt that text messaging is here to stay and as network coverage expands in Australia, it only makes sense that bulk text messaging should be utilized as much as possible – it is affordable, extremely effective and has the advantage of being both discreet and direct.

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