Sahel EDU

Scholarships, discounts and waivers: grant them, trace them, see them in every family’s balance

A scholarship granted by word of mouth, a sibling discount pencilled in a notebook: a few months later nobody remembers who decided, for what amount or until when. With Sahel EDU, scholarship management software that also handles fee discounts, every discount has an author, a reason, a fixed amount and a history, and the family’s balance takes it into account.

Scholarship, discount, waiver: what do they mean?

In a school, three words come up without always meaning the same thing. It is better to tell them apart before opening a notebook or a software screen, because each one calls for different rules.

In every case the principle is the same: the family owes less than the posted fee, and the school must be able to explain why, to a parent as well as to an inspector.

The scholarship: help granted to a student for a period, often renewable, such as a tuition scholarship or a merit scholarship.
The discount: a reduction tied to a situation, such as siblings or a parent on the school staff.
The waiver: a reduction that covers all or part of the fees of one item, for example for a hardship case.
The donation: a sum given by a third party, sometimes to fund scholarships, which must be accounted for to the donor.

Set the rule before granting the first discount

Managing school fee discounts starts with a written decision by the head, not with a gesture at the cash desk. Without a rule, every request becomes a negotiation, and families compare notes.

The rule fits in a few lines that can be posted and attached to the school’s regulations.

Who decides: the head alone, or the management with a second check above a certain amount.
Which fees are covered: tuition only, or other items too, chosen one by one.
Which criteria: results, social situation, number of children, link with the staff.
Which duration and renewal conditions, set in advance and known to the family.
Which budget or how many places per programme, so the school never promises more than it can carry.

Granting a sibling discount or a waiver with Sahel EDU

The head’s office grants the discount to a student from the class screen, with the permission set aside for it. The amount is fixed on the day of the decision, calculated on the total fees, and it never exceeds the fees due. The author of the decision and the reason are kept.

A discount is never erased: it is revoked with a reason, and the history stays readable. The student’s amount due is recalculated, and unpaid instalments are rebalanced starting from the last one, so that their sum equals the amount due exactly. An instalment brought down to zero is marked as waived.

Network discount types (siblings, staff child, hardship case, excellence) and types specific to the school.
For siblings, brothers and sisters linked to the same parent without a discount are suggested in one click.
A fixed amount, an author, a reason: nothing changes silently.
A reasoned revocation rather than a deletion.

Scholarships: programmes, applications, renewal and donations

A scholarship is managed as a programme. The head defines its payer, the number of places, the budget, the format of the scholarship number and the fee items covered, one by one. By default only tuition is covered: registration and exam fees never are unless ticked.

The head alone makes the award, with a unique number, and a double check can be required above a threshold. Families submit their application with supporting documents, stored encrypted. Renewal follows conditions set in advance, and a merit scholarship can rely on published results.

A scholarship certificate with a QR Code, showing no amount, which the student can present.
A sponsorship shared through a signed WhatsApp link, to ask for support.
A register of donations and a report to donors.
A dashboard for the head, and no access for teachers.

What the family sees, what the bursar follows

For the family, a “Scholarship” card appears in their space, and the balance starts from the amount due after the discount. They no longer need to recall at every instalment what was agreed. Payments remain split item by item, which shows that a scholarship covers tuition without touching the other fees.

For the bursar or accountant, discounts are no longer an unexplained gap between the fee and the amount collected: they have a line, an author and a date. This is the basis of a realistic budget, built on enrolment, fees and the discounts granted.

The amount due, the amount paid and the balance can be read per student and per class.
Discounts appear with their reason, instead of being buried in the payments.
A withheld report card for unpaid fees follows the balance after discount.

Limits to know before starting

Sahel EDU records and traces the school’s decisions; it does not make them. It calculates no social scale and does not choose the beneficiaries.

To start, write the rule first, create the discount types you need, then grant the first discounts from the class screens.

No online payment: the school records payments received at the cash desk or by deposit, and the family sees its receipt.
A scholarship remains a human decision, approved by the head.
Renewal conditions are the ones the school has set, not a national criterion.
Amounts and rates belong to the school: they do not appear on this page.

Frequently asked questions

How do we grant a sibling discount to two brothers?

From the class screen, the head’s office grants a sibling discount to one of them. Brothers and sisters linked to the same parent without a discount are suggested in one click, and each discount keeps its reason.

Can a scholarship granted by mistake be cancelled?

Yes, by a revocation with a reason. The discount is never erased: its history stays visible, and the student’s amount due is recalculated.

Does a scholarship cover registration and exam fees?

Only if the head ticks those items. By default a scholarship programme covers tuition only.

Does the family see its scholarship?

Yes. A “Scholarship” card appears in their space, and the balance takes the discount into account.

Can we try scholarship management before committing?

Yes. The free trial lasts 30 days, with no commitment. The price is then negotiated with each school and can be read on the Pricing page.

Try Sahel EDU for free

Try Sahel EDU free for 30 days, no commitment. Afterwards, the price is negotiated with your school and confirmed in writing.

Book a private demonstration See pricing How the trial works