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SA schools can become more productive through smart use of technologies

By JP Lourens, Software and Solutions Product Manager at KYOCERA Document Solutions South Africa.


Johannesburg, 31 Jan 2018
JP Lourens, Software and Solutions product manager at KYOCERA Document Solutions South Africa.
JP Lourens, Software and Solutions product manager at KYOCERA Document Solutions South Africa.

Education faces challenges in virtually every country. A shortage of teachers, budgets that don't meet needs and an ever-shifting curriculum are among the most common. That said, technology is rising to meet these challenges, and today, there are processes and technologies that can be implemented within the education space that can help to ease the strain being felt.

Schools can indeed keep up with the fast-paced digital revolution if they simply apply themselves to discovering and implementing appropriate solutions where they're needed most, says JP Lourens, Software and Solutions Product Manager at KYOCERA Document Solutions South Africa.

KYOCERA Document Solutions has been helping schools across the globe with their day-to-day operations, providing innovative and reliable solutions that score top marks for print quality, value for money, and efficiency for the past 25 years.

Survey insights

In a recently conducted survey of people actively involved in the education space, KYOCERA Document Solutions discovered that 62% of teachers and students felt the technology offered by their schools helps to elevate them above others. This is important, because that differentiation gives schools a significant edge when it comes to attracting new pupils.

That said, with budgets under significant pressure, it's just as important to keep things like the total cost of ownership (TCO) of any technology solution in mind without compromising on quality. By striking the right balance between the right technologies and TCO, that all-important differentiation can be maintained without overspending.

Balancing act

Of course, the challenge is achieving that balance, and again, this is where technology can pitch in, not only from the perspective of buying cost-effective solutions, but also by encouraging different usage patterns. Printing is one area where significant cost savings can be achieved by modifying user behaviour slightly; for instance, by printing on both sides of each individual piece of paper, paper costs can be halved; by scanning documents to digital files instead of copying them, paper usage can be cut even further; by purchasing power-efficient hardware, electricity costs can be lowered.

With the fast-changing pace of technology, more schools start to focus on implementing smart document management and data capture solutions that make their day-to-day admin just that much easier. Schools can digitise pupil records with functions like automated document scanning, manage the resulting data stores through centralised information management systems, and leverage off systems that ensure scanned documents end up in the correct location.

With the proper care and attention, and the application of the appropriate technology, any school's daily admin tasks can be greatly sped up and simplified.

Additional value

KYOCERA's survey also discovered that 52% of teachers and 45% of students would like to work on computers that are more up-to-date than what their school offers. This reflects how schools aren't able to spend what they'd like to on their technology, preferring to receive a bit more value out of existing equipment than replacing it as often as teachers and students would like.

The hunger for better technology is there, however: a full third of respondents indicated they would like better-quality printing in the next year, and just over that number (34%) said they'd also like to have access to technology that's easier to use.

Keeping heads in the cloud

It's not just teachers, but also administration staff that can benefit from using a managed print service. Cloud-based, predefined processes can benefit in all areas, from automated confirmation e-mails through to approval processes for incoming invoices, minimising the element of human error, and ensuring optimised and efficient business processes resulting in time saving and cost reduction. Reducing costs is key for teachers, and tracking volumes and related costs allows schools to understand if charging for print is feasible, or simply making sure that departments are not losing money on student printing.

Remote monitoring of printing also improves services to schools, especially when it comes to identifying paper or ink jams, or even replenishment needs.

Digital learning for the win

Thirty-four percent of the teachers in the survey said their school or college was actively engaged in implementing new approaches to assessment. Using features such as automatic marking (using KYOCERA'S Teaching Assistant App) not only allows teachers to save time and provide feedback faster than they would do if marking by hand, but it has the potential to store the results of each student, and each test, allowing teachers to easily view progress and test results with analytic feedback, allowing for problem areas to be addressed.

In conclusion

Technology is an effective way of saving time, cutting costs and increasing general satisfaction in education. Educational trends such as digital convergence, learning analytics and new approaches to assessment encompass these, and the sooner they are implemented, the sooner the benefits will be reaped.

Having said that, balancing the budgetary needs of schools with the technological needs of teachers and students can be achieved by getting the right solutions, of which there are many. Efficient printing and document management solutions are both big parts of any school's daily activities, and are a good place to start.

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Kyocera Document Solutions South Africa

Headquartered in Midrand, Kyocera Document Solutions South Africa is a country level subsidiary of Kyocera Document Solutions Inc. and is responsible for the sales and marketing of Kyocera printers and document solutions throughout southern Africa.

Kyocera Document Solutions South Africa is renowned for its tailor-made document solutions that provide a perfect blend of premium products, software solutions and professional services that increase an organisation's workflow efficiency, enhance employee productivity, minimise environmental impact and significantly reduce operating costs.

The company offers world-class monochrome and colour printers, multifunctional products, parts and supplies, as well as software solutions.

A key differentiator for the Kyocera brand is the primary focus on overall value as opposed to only considering the initial acquisition price. Its solutions portfolio and Managed Document Services division help customers to reduce costs and environmental impact, at the same time as improving the efficiency and reliability of common business processes.

Kyocera Document Solutions Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kyocera Corporation, which is a leading manufacturer of high-tech ceramics, electronic components, solar cells and electronic office equipment.

For further information visit www.kyoceradocumentsolutions.co.za

KYOCERA Document Solutions

KYOCERA Document Solutions, headquartered in Osaka, Japan, is a leading manufacturer of document imaging solutions and document management systems, including colour and monochrome multifunctional products as well as printers and wide format devices. Kyocera's products are renowned for their unique long-life imaging components that provide greater reliability and less waste - resulting in a lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) over the life of the product. The KYOCERA Document Solutions portfolio does not stop at hardware. A full suite of business applications and consultative services allow customers to optimise and manage their document workflow, unleashing the full potential of their hardware investment.

KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc. is a core company of KYOCERA Corporation, the world's leading developer and manufacturer of advanced ceramics and associated products, including telecommunications equipment, semiconductor packages and electronic components. During the year ended March 31 2017, KYOCERA Corporation's net sales totalled 1.42 trillion yen (approx. EUR 11.9 billion). For more information and press-ready photos, visit https://www.kyoceradocumentsolutions.eu/.

Editorial contacts

Ingrid Lotze
join.the.dots
ingrid@jtd.co.za
Marcom Department
Kyocera Document Solutions
(+27) 11 595 2600
marcom@dza.kyocera.com