SERA software gives primary school control over their data

Primary schools currently depend largely on just one or two foreign suppliers for their student administration and tracking systems. Software developer SERA Business Design aims to reduce this dependence with Datawijzer, an open system that allows different educational applications to work together. With Datawijzer, schools can manage student information and various administrative processes from a single system.

“This gives school boards, school management and teachers back control and freedom of choice,” says Bas Fruman, director of SERA Business Design.

Less dependence on a single supplier

According to SERA, the current market creates a form of vendor lock-in: schools are heavily dependent on one foreign supplier, making it financially and organisationally difficult to switch. Fruman says this leaves schools with too little choice when it comes to the software they use.

“Our system gives schools freedom of choice without vendor lock-in. They decide which additional specialised applications and suppliers they want to work with,” Fruman explains.

Datawijzer is designed to reduce this dependence. The system allows schools to use applications from other suppliers as well. For example, a school can use one application for administration and another for testing, while keeping all the data connected within the same system. This aligns with the principles of Edu-V, an initiative involving the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and education organisations. Edu-V aims to ensure that schools do not have to rely on the specific technology of a single foreign supplier for every software integration.

Addressing several challenges

According to Fruman, Datawijzer addresses several challenges in primary education. It is more efficient than existing systems and can reduce costs, as schools no longer need to purchase expensive additional systems. According to SERA, Datawijzer should therefore not only make administration more efficient and reduce costs, but above all give schools greater control over their data.