# Academium SMS FAQs — Pricing, Offline Work, Sync & School Management [View the HTML page](https://academium.com.ng/sms/faq/) > Clear answers about Academium SMS plans, offline work, dependable sync, security, backups, fees, results, payroll and school operations. Find the right setup for your school. Academium SMS · Frequently asked questions ## A clearer picture. Your school, connected. From the first register to the final report card, know how SMS fits your school. Explore plans, everyday workflows and the safeguards that keep work moving. 98 practical answers15 topics to explore ## Why SMS for your school? Less repeated work, clearer decisions and room for your school to grow. ### Why does our school need a school management system? As a school grows, registers, payment notes, class lists and staff records can become harder to keep consistent. A school management system connects that information so staff spend less time finding, copying and reconciling it. Academium SMS gives the school one organised workspace for daily administration and a clearer view of what needs attention. ### How does SMS reduce the manual work our staff do every day? Enter a student and link their family once, then use that record across classes, attendance, fees and assessments. Recorded marks feed grading and report preparation; fee payments update balances and retain receipt history; Catch Up highlights unfinished work. Staff still make the decisions, with less repeated copying, tallying and searching between tasks. ### How does SMS help teachers, the bursary and school leaders work together? Each team works with the relevant parts of the same school records, within its permissions. A family relationship recorded by administration can support fee collection, while academic records support reporting and leadership review. Shared classes, terms and student identities keep handovers clearer as work moves between employees. ### How can SMS make fee collection easier to follow? The school can see charges, part payments, outstanding balances and receipt history together, rather than rebuilding the picture from separate notebooks. Family wallets help connect collections across siblings, while accounting follows the school’s wider money movements. Permissions and supported approval steps help keep financial decisions with the right people. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/school-fees) ### What makes Academium SMS a strong fit for the way schools actually work? Academium brings the classroom, fee desk, staff office and school operations into a connected workspace, with deployment choices that fit the school’s circumstances. Run on a school server, use Academium Cloud, or bring both together on an eligible plan. Approved staff computers can keep working offline and catch up through sync, while role permissions, device controls and recovery tools help the school stay in control. ### Can a school with a small team adopt SMS without making work more complicated? Start with the records and tasks that matter most, then introduce more modules as the team becomes familiar with them. Role-based access, search, focus spaces and personal sidebar arrangement help employees find their own work. Free mode, plans for different school sizes, self-service guides and access to the support team give your school a practical path from first use to wider adoption. ## Getting started Prepare your records, set up the school and give employees access. ### What information should we have ready before setting up SMS? Have the school’s details, current session and term, classes and subjects ready, along with the student, family and employee records you want to begin with. Decide who should handle setup and what access each employee needs. If you plan to import records, check the relevant guide before arranging the spreadsheet. ### How do we get started? Download the edition that fits your school’s setup. Server and Individual editions let you create a school, explore a demo or begin in free mode. A Client Edition joins an existing school server on the school network. Our downloads guide explains which edition belongs on each computer. [Choose an SMS edition](https://academium.com.ng/sms/downloads) ### Who can log in to Academium SMS? SMS is the workspace for school employees, with access shaped by their assigned roles. Students use Surepass for assessment and practice rather than signing in to SMS. The separate parent app is still in development and is not yet available. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/staff-permissions) ### Can we bring our existing school records into SMS? Supported spreadsheet imports help paid-plan schools bring in existing records without re-entering every entry. Prepare the information using the guidance for the relevant module and review it before importing. The help team can advise on a practical starting point for your school’s records. ## Pricing & plans Free mode, paid plans, student allowances and what to budget for. ### Can we try SMS before choosing a paid plan? Free mode lets your school use core modules with up to 50 students and attendance for 10 classes a day. It supports school Server, Client and Individual editions. When you are ready for a paid plan, upgrade while keeping the school records you have already entered. [Compare SMS plans](https://academium.com.ng/sms/pricing) ### How much does Academium SMS cost? Lite starts at ₦75,000 per term for 200 students. Standard is ₦150,000 per term for 350 students. Premium is ₦200,000 per term with unlimited students. All three paid plans also offer a pay-per-student alternative; the pricing page shows the current allowances, modules and billing options. [Compare SMS plans](https://academium.com.ng/sms/pricing) ### Is pay-per-student pricing added to the plan price? It is an alternative way to pay. Per student per term, Lite is ₦500, Standard is ₦700 and Premium is ₦1,000. Choose that option or the published plan price, rather than adding both together. [Compare SMS plans](https://academium.com.ng/sms/pricing) ### What happens when our school grows beyond the included students? On the plan-price option, Lite covers 200 students, then charges ₦500 per extra student per term. Standard covers 350, then charges ₦700 per extra student per term. Premium includes unlimited students, making budgeting simpler for a larger school. [Compare SMS plans](https://academium.com.ng/sms/pricing) ### Can we pay for an academic session instead of each term? Yes. Session billing covers 3 terms paid together with a 5% discount. At the published base plan prices, that is ₦213,750 for Lite, ₦427,500 for Standard and ₦570,000 for Premium. Student and device allowances still follow the chosen plan. [Compare SMS plans](https://academium.com.ng/sms/pricing) ### What is the difference between core modules and all modules? Core modules cover daily essentials including student and family records, attendance, classes, timetables, progression, sessions, exams, reports, staff permissions and device access. Standard and Premium add the full module range, including broader finance, payroll and school operations. The plan comparison lists availability module by module. [Compare SMS plans](https://academium.com.ng/sms/pricing) ### Do we pay separately for every staff member or computer? Paid plans include unlimited staff and families, and unlimited Client devices connected to the school server. Free mode includes 1 Individual device. Lite includes 15, with additional Individual devices at ₦300 each per term; Standard includes 30; Premium includes unlimited Individual devices. Staff allowances and device allowances are separate, so choose a plan around how your team will actually work. [Compare SMS plans](https://academium.com.ng/sms/pricing) ### Which plans let us use a school server and Academium Cloud together? Lite supports a school server or portal hosting. Standard and Premium support a school server, portal hosting, or both together. Choose both when your school wants the continuity of working on its own network and the convenience of approved access away from school. [Compare SMS plans](https://academium.com.ng/sms/pricing) ### Does the subscription include computers, installation and on-site visits? SMS subscription pricing covers the software plan. Computers, networking and other infrastructure can be arranged separately through Academium Plus. On-site support is scheduled: it is included with Premium, and carries a one-time fee on Free mode, Lite and Standard. On-site onboarding is also scheduled and carries a one-time charge; self-service guides and onboarding videos help schools get started at their own pace. [Compare SMS plans](https://academium.com.ng/sms/pricing) ## Editions & offline work At school, on a staff laptop, and away from the school network. ### Can our school work without an internet connection? Yes. With a school Server Edition, staff use SMS over the school’s local network without needing internet for day-to-day work. Individual Edition also supports offline work on approved staff computers, with saved changes syncing when the computer reconnects. Internet is needed for services such as cloud updates, online payments and remote access. ### When should we choose the School Server Edition? Choose a school server when staff need a shared school workspace that keeps running on the local network during internet outages. The server holds the school’s working records, while Client and Individual editions connect staff computers to it. Server editions are available for Windows and Linux. ### What is the difference between Client and Individual editions? Client Edition is for computers connected to the school server on the school network, including shared computers used by several employees. Individual Edition is for an approved staff computer that keeps a working copy for offline use and syncs with the school’s chosen server or Academium Cloud portal. Pick the edition for the way the computer will be used. ### Can we use SMS without running our own school server? Yes. With portal hosting on a paid plan, staff use Individual Edition to connect to the school’s records through Academium Cloud. Individual Edition supports offline work and catches up when internet returns. This gives your school a hosted option while staff continue working in the SMS application. ### How does using a school server and Academium Cloud together help us? Staff can work through the school server while on campus and reach the school’s portal when away, using Individual Edition. The school server remains the main working copy and the portal is kept updated through sync. Local work can continue during an internet outage, then catch up when the connection returns. ### Does our school server have to stay connected to the internet all day? Local school work does not require a continuous internet connection. If you use the school server and portal together, connect the server to the internet at least once each day so changes can be exchanged. Away-from-school views reflect the latest completed sync, so a disconnected server’s newest work appears after it reconnects. ### Can an owner or authorised employee work from home? Yes, when the school uses portal hosting or a server-and-portal setup and the employee has the right permissions and an approved Individual device. Reconnecting over the internet brings the working copy up to date. A school-server-only setup is accessed through the school network. ## Sync & continuity How saved work catches up, stays consistent and handles interruptions. ### What does sync actually do for our school? Sync brings saved changes between approved school copies, so work entered in one place becomes available in the others after they connect and catch up. It works in both directions: an approved staff laptop can send its work and receive school updates. Each employee still works within the school’s access rules. ### What happens to work saved while a staff laptop is offline? Saved offline changes wait on that computer until it reconnects to the school’s chosen connection. Sync then sends that work and receives updates made elsewhere. Staff should keep the working copy on the device until pending work has synced, especially before replacing a computer or removing its school data. ### What if the connection drops while SMS is syncing? An interruption does not require staff to start entering their work again. SMS keeps track of sync progress and continues catching up after the connection is restored. Changes that need another attempt can be retried, helping the school recover from an unreliable connection without restarting its day. ### Will reconnecting or retrying sync create the same record twice? Sync recognises updates it has already received so a repeated delivery is not applied again. That makes reconnection and retries dependable without staff having to identify and remove duplicate copies of the same synced update. Separate entries created independently still need the normal care used when entering school records. ### What happens if two approved computers change the same record? SMS uses consistent rules to keep the more recent saved change, rather than treating whichever update arrives last as the newest work. This helps approved copies settle on the same record even when a computer reconnects later. For sensitive work, assigning clear staff responsibilities helps avoid two people making different decisions on the same record. ### What makes sync dependable beyond simply sending updates? SMS remembers what has already been received, handles repeated deliveries and gives unsuccessful changes another attempt. A change that needs attention does not have to hold back unrelated updates. These safeguards help staff keep working through everyday connection interruptions, while visible sync status helps them know when catching up is complete. ### Are records on every computer always up to date instantly? Connected copies catch up through sync; an offline computer shows the information it last received plus its own saved work. For an important handover, check that the relevant computers and school connection have completed sync first. This makes it clear which work is available across the school before the next person relies on it. ### Does sync replace a backup? Sync keeps working copies current. A backup gives the school a recovery point if records or the server need to be restored. Use both as part of your school’s continuity plan: sync for everyday movement of work, and backups for recovery. ## Security & staff access The right people, the right access, and control over school devices. ### Can we choose what each employee can see and change? Yes. Assign employees to roles that reflect their responsibilities. Viewing, adding, editing and deleting are separate permissions, so a teacher can be allowed to view information without receiving the same control as an administrator. The school keeps control over who handles sensitive academic, financial and employee records. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/staff-permissions) ### Do staff need to share one school login? Each employee can have their own account and role. On a shared Client computer, employees can sign in to their own school workspace rather than sharing one identity. This keeps access tied to the person using SMS. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/employee-records) ### How are records protected when someone steps away from a computer? Employees can use their personal PIN to sign in or unlock SMS on an enrolled computer. Automatic idle locking and privacy options for notifications help keep school information out of casual view when a device is left unattended. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/account-security) ### What if an employee forgets their PIN? Account security includes recovery questions for PIN recovery. Sensitive changes to security settings require the account password, so knowing how to unlock the workspace is not the same as being allowed to change its protection. Encourage each employee to keep their own recovery information private. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/account-security) ### Can the school control which computers are allowed to connect? Yes. School device enrolment gives authorised staff a view of approved computers, their recent connection activity and the employees using them. Device access can be managed alongside employee permissions, giving school leaders control over both the person and the computer accessing school records. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/devices-and-access) ### What can we do if a staff computer is lost or no longer approved? Authorised staff can request a remote lock, sign-out or removal of the school’s local copy, as appropriate. An offline device receives the instruction when it next connects. Contact support promptly if school information may be at risk, and review the employee’s account and device access. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/devices-and-access) ### What happens if a computer is offline when we lock it? The request takes effect when that computer next connects to the school. Device policies also let the school limit how long enrolled computers can remain offline before access needs renewal. These controls work alongside local locking and staff permissions; a remote instruction cannot reach a disconnected computer immediately. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/devices-and-access) ### Is school information protected when it is sent to Academium Cloud? School information is protected while being sent between the application and Academium Cloud. Staff permissions, approved devices and account security provide additional layers of control over who can use it. Schools should also keep staff devices secure and review access when responsibilities change. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/account-security) ## Backups & recovery Recovery points and a clearer view of the school server’s health. ### Can we back up our school server automatically? Yes. A school server linked to the Academium portal supports scheduled, protected backups with a history of completed runs. Backups cover school records and uploaded files together. Optional cloud copies provide another place to keep recovery material alongside the school’s chosen backup arrangements. ### What does restoring a server backup bring back? A supported backup restores the school’s records and uploaded files together to the saved recovery point. Recovery checks help prevent a damaged or incompatible backup from being used. Choose the recovery point carefully with authorised staff, since work entered after that point may need to be recovered separately. ### Do all our backups have to be stored in the cloud? Cloud backup copies are optional. The school can keep local recovery copies as part of its server backup arrangements; the server must be linked to the Academium portal for the backup feature. Keep a suitable copy away from the working server so a problem affecting that machine does not affect every recovery copy. ### Will SMS help us notice school-server problems early? Server health information can surface storage and cooling warnings, unexpected shutdowns, errors and missing backups. This helps the school act on issues before they disrupt more work. Available hardware readings depend on the server, and scheduled checks and support remain part of looking after it. ## Students & families Connected records that stay useful from admission to alumni. ### Can we keep each student’s information together? Student records bring admission information and the learner’s school history into a consistent place. Staff can connect a student to their class and family, then use the same school record across attendance, fees and academic work. Access remains subject to the employee’s role. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/student-records) ### Can we link siblings to the same parent or family? Yes. Family records connect parents and their children so staff can understand the family relationship without treating each child as an unrelated contact. Linked children can also be considered together when collecting family payments or using the family wallet. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/parents-and-families) ### Can our school collect information beyond the standard forms? Yes. Add custom fields to student admission, employee and parent forms, choose the information each field accepts and mark required answers where appropriate. You can organise the fields to fit the school’s forms, and choose which supported fields appear in record lists. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/custom-fields) ### Do we lose old records when students move to a new class? Progression helps move students into the next school period while keeping earlier class and term history available. Staff can handle promotion, repetition and graduation without replacing a learner’s past with only their current class. This makes it easier to look back at how a student has progressed. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/student-progression) ### Can we keep records after a student leaves or graduates? Alumni records help the school stay connected to former students and retain useful school history. Graduation does not have to mean deleting a student’s past records to make room for the next intake. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/alumni) ### Can parents sign in or use a parent app today? The separate parent app is in development and is not yet available. Standard and Premium include parent-portal access when it launches, with portal hosting or a school-server-and-portal setup. The current SMS application remains the employee workspace; staff can manage parent and family records now. ## Academics & attendance Daily registers, teaching schedules, assessment and report cards. ### Can we organise classes, sections and subjects around our school? Yes. Set up classes, sections and subjects to reflect the way the school teaches. These shared records give attendance, timetables, fees and assessments a consistent school structure, reducing the need to maintain separate class lists for each task. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/classes-and-subjects) ### Can we review attendance from an earlier term? Yes. Choose a term and class to review present, absent, late and half-day records. Attendance reports account for the school calendar’s weekends and holidays, and staff can follow up on classes whose registers have not been marked. This makes attendance useful for action as well as record keeping. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/attendance) ### Can SMS help us avoid timetable clashes? Timetable planning brings classes, subjects and assigned employees into the same schedule. Conflict checks help staff spot overlapping commitments while arranging lessons, so avoidable clashes can be addressed before the timetable is put into use. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/timetables) ### Can we keep different sessions and terms organised? Yes. Sessions and terms give academic work a clear school period, while earlier records remain available for review. Dates, school holidays and events help staff work from the same calendar instead of maintaining conflicting versions of the term. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/sessions-and-terms) ### Can we use our own assessment structure and grading rules? Set up exams and subject score components around the school’s assessment structure, then apply the school’s grading rules to recorded marks. Staff can bring assessment work together for results and reports without treating every school as if it uses the same marking arrangement. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/exams-and-results) ### Can younger learners have skills-based reports? Yes. Define skills, categories and a rating scale, then assign the relevant categories to each class. Teachers record ratings and remarks for each learner, with junior reports and class broadsheets built from those records. This gives the school a way to report development beyond subject marks alone. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/junior-assessment) ### Can SMS prepare report cards and class broadsheets? Yes. SMS brings recorded marks together with the school’s grading rules, attendance and remarks for academic reporting. Class broadsheets help staff review a wider set of results before reports are prepared. The quality of the final report follows the information staff have recorded and reviewed. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/exams-and-results) ## Fees & school finance From the family’s bill to the school’s wider financial picture. ### Can different classes or new students have different fees? Yes. Build fee templates by school period and class, with different arrangements for new and returning students. Charges, due dates and applicable discounts or fines can be organised around the school’s rules, rather than forcing the same bill on every learner. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/school-fees) ### Can we accept part payments and keep track of outstanding fees? Yes. Record payments against the student’s bill and keep the remaining balance visible. Previous outstanding amounts stay available, with options for handling older balances when collecting payments. Staff can review the collection before recording it and issue a receipt afterwards. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/school-fees) ### Can we trace a fee payment or correct a mistake? Payment and receipt history helps authorised staff review what was collected. Supported reversals provide a controlled way to correct a payment instead of simply removing its history. This gives the school a clearer trail when answering a parent’s payment question. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/school-fees) ### How does a family wallet help parents with more than one child? A parent’s wallet holds a balance that can be used for the children linked to that family, including applicable fees, transport and boarding charges. Top-ups, payments and the remaining balance stay in the family’s history. A wallet top-up is held money; it becomes fee income when used to pay the relevant charges. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/family-wallets) ### Can a parent pay into a dedicated bank account for their family? Online SMS supports virtual accounts when the plan includes the module, family wallets are active and the payment service has been set up. A parent completes the required identity verification before an account is created. Received transfers can then be associated with the correct parent’s wallet, making family collections easier to trace. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/virtual-accounts) ### Can we keep track of student pocket money separately from fees? Yes. The pocket-money module gives the school a separate place to manage student pocket-money records. It helps staff distinguish money held for a student’s day-to-day use from school fees and other school collections. ### Does SMS cover school finances beyond collecting fees? Yes. School accounting follows money across school accounts, with income, expenses, transfers, vouchers and journals. It distinguishes earnings and spending from other movements of money, helping school leaders see a more useful financial picture than fee receipts alone. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/school-accounting) ### Can we check school records against a bank statement? Yes. Enter the bank statement’s lines and match them with movements in the school’s books. The reconciliation shows differences and unmatched items, and a completed reconciliation is kept read-only for later review. Statement lines are entered by staff rather than being pulled automatically from the bank. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/bank-reconciliation) ### Can we record scholarships and supported students? Set up scholarship programmes for a fixed amount or a percentage of eligible fees, then award them to students for the relevant school periods. Approved awards reduce the bill, while pending awards wait for a decision. The approval record helps staff distinguish agreed assistance from an ordinary unpaid balance. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/scholarships) ### Can SMS help organise school tax records? School-tax tools calculate PAYE from the school’s configured bands and staff reliefs, with monthly summaries and records of remittances. Staff can see what has been withheld and what is still to be remitted. These records give the school’s finance team the detail needed to review the figures and prepare submissions. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/school-tax) ## Staff & administration Employee records, payroll and the decisions that need approval. ### Can we keep a record of staff and student recognition? The Appraisals module records awards and recognition for staff and students, including the reason, date and any gift or cash prize. Good work stays on record after an assembly or presentation, making recognition easier to look back on. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/appraisals) ### Can we manage teaching and non-teaching employees together? Yes. Employee records cover the school’s staff, while roles and permissions shape what each person can do. Keep administration connected to the same employee record rather than maintaining unrelated lists for access, payroll and other staff responsibilities. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/employee-records) ### Can SMS help us prepare staff payroll? Set up pay grades with allowances and deductions, then follow the monthly run from generated payslips through approval to payment. SMS keeps each payslip’s stage visible and brings waiting approvals to the right staff. Salary-advance and pension records help the school review pay with a clearer view of commitments. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/payroll) ### Can we track salary advances and repayment? Yes. Salary advances can be recorded and followed through repayment, so the school can see what has been advanced and what remains outstanding. Keeping these records connected to staff administration makes payroll follow-up easier. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/salary-advances) ### Can we record staff pensions and their pension providers? Yes. Set up pension fund administrators, link each employee’s pension account and record the employee and employer contribution rates. Provider records can be shared across school branches, while contribution arrangements remain tied to the relevant employee. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/pensions-and-pfa) ### Can employees request leave and managers review it in SMS? Set leave types and yearly allowances for each role. Employees can apply for the leave their role allows, choose dates and attach supporting documents where needed. Managers approve or reject the request, with applications retained for later review and reporting. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/staff-leave) ### Can requests go through an approval process? Yes. Approval rules can hold supported sensitive actions, currently fee write-offs, until the required people have agreed. Set an ordered chain of roles or named approvers, then review who has signed and who is still to come. Catch Up helps authorised staff notice waiting decisions. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/approvals) ### Can we keep track of NYSC staff serving at the school? Yes. Keep each corps member’s posting, service year, monthly allowance and discharge record together, linked to their employee profile. Staff can follow the service period without losing those details among general staff paperwork. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/nysc-management) ## School operations Branches, transport, boarding and the work around the classroom. ### Can reception keep visitors, calls and complaints in SMS? Yes. The front desk has visitor, call, post and complaint logs, with follow-up dates and complaints assigned to the relevant staff. Reception can keep a clear record of what came in and what needs attention, so follow-up does not depend on finding the right notebook. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/front-desk) ### Can we organise photographs from school occasions? The school gallery groups photographs by occasion, such as sports day, graduation or cultural day. Staff can upload in batches, browse and download the pictures, and restore photographs deleted by mistake within 30 days. School memories remain easier to find and reuse. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/school-gallery) ### Can we manage clubs, teams and school houses? Yes. Set up activities with coordinators, meeting times and participant limits, then record attendance and termly participant assessments. House records can include house masters and sponsors. This gives extracurricular work its own organised place alongside classroom records. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/extracurricular-activities) ### Can we manage more than one school branch? Yes. Each branch keeps its own students, staff, sessions and financial records, with its own name, contacts and school identity. Authorised leaders can switch between branches, and the current branch stays visible so a campus’s figures are read in the right context. Shared setup such as pension providers can be reused. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/school-branches) ### Can we manage school transport alongside student records? Record school vehicles and transport fee plans, then allocate students to the appropriate vehicle and plan each term. The fare joins the student’s school invoice, making it easier to see who uses transport and what is due. Optional late fees can follow the school’s transport billing rules. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/transportation) ### Does SMS support hostel and boarding administration? Yes. Set up hostels with capacities and wardens, define boarding fee plans and allocate boarders each term. Boarding charges join the student’s school invoice, giving staff a connected view of accommodation and what is due. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/hostel-and-boarding) ### Can we keep track of school stock and sales? Yes. Organise products, suppliers and stores, record stock purchases, and sell or issue items to students and staff. Purchase and sales bills retain payment history, including part payments, while low-stock alerts help staff see what needs replenishing. The school can follow stock and its related money together. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/sales-and-inventory) ### Can we organise holidays, events and extracurricular activities? Yes. School holidays and events help keep the calendar consistent, including days that affect attendance. Extracurricular activities have their own module, so the work around clubs and other activities can be organised alongside classroom administration. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/holidays-and-events) ## Reports & daily workspace Find information, spot unfinished work and prepare useful outputs. ### Are everyday tools available without leaving SMS? SMS includes a calculator with basic, scientific and office modes, plus a notepad that saves as employees type. Staff can keep these tools beside their work, move them out of the way or minimise them when they need the space. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/tools) ### What can school leaders see without checking every module? The dashboard can bring fee balances, income and expenses, attendance follow-ups and family-wallet balances into view, according to the employee’s access. Reports provide more detail when a total needs explaining. Leaders get a clearer starting point for decisions without giving every employee the same view. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/dashboard-and-catch-up) ### How does SMS help employees remember unfinished work? Catch Up surfaces unfinished work and waiting approvals. Employees can keep non-urgent items for chosen hours while urgent items remain visible. This helps the team move from simply storing records to following through on the work those records reveal. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/dashboard-and-catch-up) ### Can staff find records without opening every module? Search helps authorised employees find school information from within their workspace, while list filters help narrow the records in a module. Staff can organise their sidebar and focus spaces around regular tasks, making frequent work easier to return to. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/search) ### Can we print school documents and review reports? Reports and printables provide useful school outputs alongside the records they describe, from academic reporting to financial and administrative documents. Staff can prepare the supported output for the task at hand, with access controlled by their role. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/printables) ### Can each employee arrange SMS to suit their work? Yes. Personal preferences include appearance, sidebar arrangement, dashboard panels and focus spaces. Employees can make frequently used tools easier to reach while the school’s access rules still determine which information and actions are available. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/personal-preferences) ## SMS & Surepass Connect assessment work to the school’s records and report cards. ### Do we have to enter all our school records again in Surepass? With the supported SMS and Surepass server connection, Surepass can reuse sessions, terms, classes, sections, subjects, students and staff from SMS. This reduces repeated setup and helps assessments belong to the same school structure as attendance and academic reporting. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/surepass-integration) ### Can Surepass exam results become part of our SMS reports? Yes. Create the receiving exam and subject score components in SMS, then choose the matching assessment in Surepass. Staff review student matches and completed scores before sending the marks back. SMS uses the recorded marks with the school’s grading rules to prepare results and report cards. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/surepass-integration) ### Does hosted SMS mean we can run school CBT exams over the internet? School CBT tests and exams in Surepass run through the school’s on-site server and local network. Academium Cloud supports Surepass practice away from school. If SMS is portal hosted, an internet-connected school server is needed for automatic school-record exchange with Surepass; support can advise on the appropriate setup. [Explore this feature](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/surepass-integration) ## Onboarding & support Guides, help from the team and scheduled on-site assistance. ### How do we help staff learn to use SMS? Onboarding videos and Help Centre guides let employees learn the relevant workflows at their own pace. Start with the modules each role needs, then expand as the team becomes comfortable. Scheduled on-site onboarding can also be arranged and may carry a separate charge. [Visit the Help Centre](https://helpcenter.academium.com.ng/) [Contact Academium](https://academium.com.ng/contact-us) ### When is Academium support available? Support hours are 9am–5pm Monday to Friday and 12pm–3pm on Saturday and Sunday, WAT (UTC+1). On-site support is arranged by schedule. Use the Help Centre for guidance outside these hours, or leave a message for the team. [Visit the Help Centre](https://helpcenter.academium.com.ng/) [Contact Academium](https://academium.com.ng/contact-us) ### How quickly can we expect a support response? The usual response window during support hours is 30 minutes–1 hour. Resolution typically takes 1–24 hours, depending on severity and what the issue requires. Include the affected task and what staff see so the team can understand the problem and guide the next step. [Visit the Help Centre](https://helpcenter.academium.com.ng/) [Contact Academium](https://academium.com.ng/contact-us) ### Where do we ask about plans, report an issue or book support? For sales, enquiries, bookings and legal matters, email info@academium.com.ng. For product questions and reports, email support@academium.com.ng. You can also use WhatsApp, phone or the Help Centre through our contact page; on-site visits are scheduled. [Visit the Help Centre](https://helpcenter.academium.com.ng/) [Contact Academium](https://academium.com.ng/contact-us) Your next step ## Let’s make it work for your school. Compare the plans, explore an edition, or talk to us about the way your team works. [Explore SMS plans](https://academium.com.ng/sms/pricing) [Download SMS](https://academium.com.ng/sms/downloads)[Visit the Help Centre](https://helpcenter.academium.com.ng/)