SmartSapp: Child security system for schools launched; all you need to know

SmartSapp, an application developed to ensure safety of children in schools while making it convenient for parents to drop off and pick up their wards has been successfully launched.

The unveiling was held at Holiday Inn Hotel, Thursday.

Here’s all you need to know about SmartSapp developed by Minex.

So, what’s SmartSapp?

SmartSapp is short for ‘Smart School Application’, a multifaceted application developed with the primary aim of strengthening child security in schools, and giving parents more control to ensure it.

Who’s behind it?

“I drop off my kids every morning with NO record to show for it. They get picked up from school without any form of verification of the person picking them up. We need to help our schools take better care of our wards. They are the reason we’re parents”. These are the words of Mr. Frank D. Natie, team leader of SmartSapp. These security issues and others pushed him to seek a solution that would combine child-security and parent convenience without the hassle that often comes with increased security measures. Unable to find one, he created his own… and SmartSapp was born.

Why SmartSapp?

Children deserve to feel safe at school and every parent should have the peace of mind that all aspects of their child’s school day are fully protected.

However, systems currently run in numerous schools across Ghana are not adequately equipped to account for when children arrive at and leave school. Unauthorised individuals known to children (neighbours, relatives, ex-family drivers, etc.) pose the greatest risk to child safety in schools and abuse in general as kids tend to trust them. It is therefore important that only persons authorised by parents have access to their children at school.

On a daily basis, children leaving school premises without any record of who picked them up poses a huge security risk for both school authorities and parents. Schools often do not know how many kids have left and how many are still on their premises.

Consequently, responses to emergency situations are bound to be chaotic and the risk of children leaving the school premises with strangers is very high.

SmartSapp caters to the current lapses in child-security in our schools, offering real-time security for children; convenience for parents and simpler and smarter systems schools.

How SmartSapp helps schools take control of the security of wards in their care SmartSapp Drop-off/Pickup feature does multiple things at once – Arrival and departure of children is electronically scanned and recorded.

Upon scanning at arrival, attendance of students is automatically taken, hence no need for a manual register in classrooms. During pickup, all persons are verified electronically with their pictures as authorised before they can leave with any ward.

The process is quick and efficient, thereby drastically reducing congestion at schools during these critical times. Additionally, parents have real-time data on when their wards were dropped or picked up from school, and by whom. This equally serves to check child truancy in schools.

Together, these features allow for speedy human accountability on a daily basis, as well as in emergency situations (lock-down, fire, natural disaster, terrorist attacks, etc.).

Processes such as fee payment, provision of school supplies, canteen management and the likes are all made more convenient by using electronic means to track and facilitate the processes involved. With less paperwork, less resources used for daily affairs and streamlined processes, schools can reduce their operational costs and save money by running more efficiently on SmartSapp.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How do I get on SmartSapp?

SmartSapp and its many benefits is available for parents whose wards’ schools are signed up on the SmartSapp Network. Parents can speak to their wards‘ schools about SmartSapp and the team will come over to do a free live demonstration. Likewise, schools can also contact SmartSapp directly for the live demonstration to experience how things work, first-hand.

How secure is personal data on the SmartSapp system?

Once installed, SmartSapp requires a pin to be created, thereby preventing unauthorized access. Data transmission between the application and all servers and devices is encrypted and a firewall protects against attacks. A separate specialised technology protects against “Brute Force Attacks” while (HSTS) protects against packet sniffers. Enhanced server security - server hardening - protects against numerous attacks.

How can people without smart phones or no phone at all drop off or pick up wards from schools?

Schools will provide authorised persons with hard copy printed QR code cards that can be used to safely and securely drop off or pick up wards.

How easy is it for parents to remove/stop a driver or other delegate from picking up their wards?

SmartSapp makes it possible for parents to quickly and easily remove, disable or stop any driver or delegate from picking their wards with the press of a button.

In the event of internet failure at a school or a parent not having data, can SmartSapp still work?

SmartSapp scanners can work comfortably offline. Parents’ version can work in offline mode.

As a parent or school owner, can I still have access to SmartSapp outside Ghana?

SmartSapp is cloud based and can be assessed on any device (android, iOS, web - admin portal) from anywhere in the world once you connect to the internet.