Why Principals Dread Counselling Sessions: SEP ERP simplifies the process.

Why Principals Dread Counselling Sessions: SEP ERP simplifies the process.

Counselling sessions with prospective parents should be inspiring moments. They are opportunities for me, as a principal, to showcase the school’s vision and culture.

But in reality, these sessions often feel like a test I’m destined to fail. Parents arrive with detailed questions — fee structures, transport routes, activity calendars, academic results — and I struggle because the data is scattered. Some of it sits in files, some with coordinators, and some only in teachers’ heads.

Instead of confidently leading the conversation, I end up reacting, buying time, or promising follow-ups. I know in those moments that parents are silently comparing me with competitors.

Why This Happens

  • Scattered data: Admissions, academics, accounts, and transport are not in one place.
  • Unpreparedness: Principals don’t always have enquiry history before meeting parents.
  • Over-dependence on staff: Coordinators bring last-minute notes, often incomplete.
  • Lack of personalization: Every parent hears the same pitch, regardless of their concerns.

As a result, the counselling session becomes stressful instead of inspiring.

What Schools Usually Try (But Doesn’t Work)

  • Long presentations: Parents lose interest and see them as generic.
  • Personal anecdotes: Build rapport but don’t answer specific queries.
  • Coordinator-led sessions: Reduce the principal’s authority.
  • Paper-based records: Slow and incomplete.

These methods look polished but don’t provide the confidence parents are seeking.

How the School Excellence Program (SEP ERP) Changes Counselling Forever

The School Excellence Program ERP makes every counselling session structured, informed, and personalized.

  • Parent Enquiry History: Principals see every interaction before the meeting — source of enquiry, follow-ups, questions asked.
  • Centralized Dashboard: All information — fee details, transport routes, activity calendars, academic records — available instantly.
  • Personalized Data Sharing: Principals can answer parents’ concerns with specific, accurate details.
  • Integration with Admissions Module: Counselling becomes the final confident step in a data-driven process.
  • Transparency & Trust: Parents leave with a sense of clarity, not confusion.

With SEP ERP, I walk into a counselling session prepared, confident, and in control — and parents walk out reassured.

Why This Matters

Counselling is often the make-or-break moment in admissions. If I am unprepared, I know I’ll lose the family to a competitor who appears more structured.

The School Excellence Program ERP is the transitional tool that removes uncertainty and equips me to lead with confidence. If others adopt it and I don’t, my school will be left behind, losing admissions at the most critical moment.

Looking Ahead

This brings us to the end of our admissions series. In December, we shift focus to another pressure point: examinations — where chaos, errors, and stress dominate. In the next blog, we’ll begin with the nightmare every teacher knows: exam conduction chaos.

Soumitra Singh Thakur Founder, School Excellence Program