Sahel EDU

The vocabulary of school finance: fees, payments, documents, the cash box and accounting

Between what a family owes, what it has paid and what the school collects, the same words sometimes mean different things. This glossary explains the vocabulary of school finance in a few lines, sorted by theme, with the French and Arabic equivalent of each term. It gives no amounts: fees and scales vary from school to school and are read in each one’s own documents.

Fees

A private school asks for several kinds of fees, and a public school for contributions set elsewhere. Telling each item apart avoids mixing up what goes to the school, to the parents’ association or to the State.

School fees (Arabic: الرسوم الدراسية): sums a private school asks for the year’s teaching.
Registration fee (Arabic: رسوم التسجيل): a sum paid at entry or re-enrolment, separate from the school fees.
Exam fees (Arabic: رسوم الامتحان): the cost of registering for an official exam, paid to the State and not to the school.
PTA contribution (Arabic: مساهمة جمعية أولياء التلاميذ): a contribution to the parents’ and teachers’ association, counted separately in the cash boxes.
Additional fees (Arabic: رسوم إضافية): uniform, canteen, transport, boarding and other services, chosen student by student.
Amount due (Arabic: المبلغ المستحق): the part of the fees the family must already pay as of today, according to the payment schedule.
Compulsory contributions (Arabic: المساهمات الواجبة): sums set for students in public secondary schools, paid outside the school.

Payment schedule, balance and unpaid fees

Paying the school fees in one go is not always possible. The school therefore splits them into installments, and tracks at every moment what is paid and what remains.

Installment (Arabic: دفعة): a share of the school fees to be paid on a given date.
Payment schedule (Arabic: جدول الدفعات): the calendar of installments, with their dates and amounts.
Advance payment (Arabic: دفعة مقدَّمة): a sum paid before the due date or ahead of an installment.
Balance (Arabic: الرصيد): the difference between what is owed and what is paid at a given moment.
Outstanding amount (Arabic: المتبقي): what remains to be paid across all the year’s fees, including installments not yet due.
Unpaid fees (Arabic: المستحقات غير المدفوعة): amounts due and unpaid after their due date.
Payment reminder (Arabic: تذكير بالدفع): the step of reminding a family what it still owes.

Reductions and support

Some families pay less than the tariff, for reasons the school must be able to explain: a record of every reduction is what makes fee collection transparent.

Exemption (Arabic: إعفاء): a total waiver of a given fee.
Discount (Arabic: تخفيض): a partial reduction of a fee.
Sibling discount (Arabic: تخفيض الإخوة): a reduction granted when several children of the same family are enrolled.
Scholarship (Arabic: منحة): support given to a student on conditions the school sets: need, results or merit.
Donation (Arabic: تبرع): a sum given to the school with nothing in return, which may give rise to a receipt.

Accounting documents

Every payment received or spent leaves a document. These documents, numbered with no gaps, make it possible to prove what happened.

Receipt (Arabic: الوصل): the document given to the family when a payment is received. It proves the payment.
Invoice (Arabic: الفاتورة): a document that details what is owed and asks for it to be settled.
Credit note (Arabic: إشعار دائن): a document that cancels all or part of an invoice or a payment.
Payment certificate (Arabic: شهادة دفع): a document confirming that a sum has been paid.
Purchase order (Arabic: أمر شراء): an order to buy, signed before spending; it may require two approvals.
Discharge slip (Arabic: مخالصة): a document signed by the person who receives a sum or an item.
Clearance certificate (Arabic: براءة ذمة): a statement that nothing is owed to the school, sometimes asked for before an exeat or a transcript.

Cash box, expenses and bank

The cash box is where the family’s money meets the school’s accounts. It is checked every day.

Today’s cash box (Arabic: صندوق اليوم): a cash box opened for one day and closed in the evening after counting.
Opening float (Arabic: رصيد افتتاح الصندوق): money placed in the cash box at opening to give change.
Cash difference (Arabic: فارق الصندوق): the gap found at closing between the money expected and the money counted.
Expense (Arabic: النفقة): money taken out of the cash box, backed by a supporting document.
Deposit (Arabic: إيداع): a sum paid into the bank or sent by a family, declared with proof of the deposit.
Bank statement (Arabic: كشف الحساب البنكي): the bank’s document listing the operations on the account.
Reconciliation (Arabic: المطابقة): setting the bank statement against the recorded payments to make sure they match.

Officers and accounting

The words of accounting vary from country to country and from school to school. These are the ones met most often.

Bursar (Arabic: المقتصد): in charge of the school’s financial and material management; the French terms are économe or intendant.
Accountant (Arabic: المحاسب): the person who keeps the books and prepares the financial statements; in some schools the bursar does both.
Payroll (Arabic: الرواتب): working out and paying staff salaries, by the hour or by the month.
Payslip (Arabic: قسيمة الراتب): the document given to each employee with the detail of their pay.
SYSCOHADA chart of accounts (Arabic: المخطط المحاسبي SYSCOHADA): the standard list of accounts of the OHADA area, from which the school keeps its journal and ledger.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between the outstanding amount and the amount due?

The outstanding amount is everything left to pay over the year. The amount due is the part of it whose due date has already passed.

What is the difference between an exemption and a discount?

An exemption waives a fee. A discount reduces it without removing it. In both cases the school must be able to explain and record the reason.

Are a receipt and an invoice the same thing?

No. An invoice asks for payment and details what is owed; a receipt proves that a payment was received.

What is reconciliation for?

To check that the deposits announced by families really appear on the bank statement, and to attach each deposit to a payment with its receipt.

What is the difference between a bursar and an intendant?

Both words refer to the person in charge of the school’s finance and equipment. Usage varies with the type of school and the region; in English, the word is bursar.

How does Sahel EDU apply this vocabulary?

Fees are followed item by item, with payment schedules, outstanding amounts and numbered receipts. Families pay at the cash desk or by bank or mobile deposit; the school records the payment, and the family sees its receipt and balance.

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