The annoying collection of entrance fees or travel costs at school should come to an end in Rhineland-Palatinate: The state is now making web-based software called “Class Money” available to its schools free of charge.
“All teachers and parents know: collecting money is a tiresome and annoying topic that eats up a lot of time that could be used more sensibly at school,” said Education Minister Stefanie Hubig (SPD) about the pilot project. “That’s why we offer the colleges a significant amount of work relief with the class allowance – and it also becomes more transparent and easier for the parents.”
The software can be used to collect money for admission, copies or new reading material in German lessons, organized clearly and then tracked, explained the Education Minister. Parents can be informed about outstanding amounts and can therefore always keep track of money flows.
The software allows teachers to create cover letters with all the information about the planned collection at the push of a button. The laborious collection of cash is now a thing of the past, said the Social Democrat at the German Press Agency in Mainz.
The “class money” offers the school administration, teachers and parents the greatest possible transparency with easy operation and a high level of security. The software is linked to an existing school account, reads out the account transactions, organizes them and displays them clearly, but cannot change anything about the accounts itself.
1.3 million euros from the state
“We wanted a service that has already been tested in schools, is stable, secure and of course data protection compliant,” explained Hubig. “We have found a reliable partner in the company Untis, which is experienced in educational topics.” In total, the state is investing around 1.3 million euros in the project. The Austria-based company is one of the market leaders in the field of school software.
“In Rhineland-Palatinate, things should run faster, more efficiently and more easily, which is why the state government has made it its mission to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy,” added Prime Minister Alexander Schweitzer (SPD). “The ‘class money’ is a great example of how this works in everyday life – in this case in everyday school life.” Parents, children and teachers would benefit from it. “Rhineland-Palatinate is at the top in a country comparison.”
According to the information, the agreement with the provider company initially runs for two years. The schools are introduced to working with the system in advance and can always rely on the provider’s advisory services if necessary, emphasized the minister. The service is open to all general and vocational schools and can be used voluntarily.
