The ITS Abmas Team with partners during the socialization and training of the Kinderfin application

ITS Campus, ITS News — The Community Service Team (Abmas) of Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) developed the Kinderfin application, to improve administrative management at the Kindergarten (TK) level. This website-based application is equipped with features that enable schools to run more structured, accountable, and transparent administrative and financial management.

The head of the ITS Kinderfin Abmas team, Adhatus Solichah Ahmadiyah SKom MSc, revealed that the rapid development of digital technology is currently not in line with the TK financial management system. Often, teachers in TK face various obstacles such as the difficulty of monitoring income and expenses, and preparing a budget. “These difficulties can have an impact on the decision-making of TK managers which will also affect the quality of education,” he explained.

The lecturer from the ITS Informatics Engineering Department who is familiarly called Licha explained that currently Kinderfin is equipped with two main modules, namely the Front Office and Back Office modules that support the management of school financial administration through five main features. These features include New Student Admissions (PPDB), Re-registration, Education Development Contributions (SPP), Committees, Extracurriculars, Employee Salaries, and Household Expenses. These five features are designed not only for schools, but also so that they can be integrated with parents of students, thus facilitating coordination between schools and parents in various aspects of financial administration.

Head of the ITS Abmas team, Adhatus Solichah Ahmadiyah SKom MSc (from left) when giving a souvenir to one of the Abmas team partners in the Kinderfin application socialization and training session

Furthermore, Licha explained that Kinderfin regulates the involvement of parents through the Front Office module, which is designed to support interaction between parents and the school. In this module, parents can access information and input data on features such as PPDB, Re-registration, SPP, Committee, and Extracurricular. For example, in the PPDB feature, parents can fill in new student data which will then be verified and processed by the school.

Meanwhile, the Back Office module functions to meet the internal needs of the school without involving parents. For example, the Household Expenditure feature is designed to record and manage school operational finances efficiently. Each feature in Kinderfin has been adjusted to the tasks and roles of the user, so that it can speed up the administrative flow in the school.

The Abmas Team from the ITS Informatics Engineering Department together with one of the kindergarten partners in Surabaya during a partner needs analysis survey

In the development and evaluation stage, the Abmas team consisting of several lecturers and students from the ITS Informatics Engineering Department also involved several kindergarten school partners in Surabaya. Through the involvement of these partners, the team was able to obtain direct input on the obstacles faced in the field, so that the application developed became more relevant and useful for financial administration management in kindergartens. “Our partners will also be able to use the Kinderfin application for free, which of course will be adjusted to the needs of each school,” added the lecturer from the Intelligent Information Management Laboratory.

As part of an effort to ensure optimal use of the application, the Abmas team held a socialization and training of the Kinderfin application directly to partners in the ITS Informatics Engineering Department on October 26. This training aims to improve their understanding of the use of the Kinderfin application as a whole, as well as to develop essential administrative skills in financial data management, so that schools can make maximum use of the application’s features.

A look at the five main features of the Kinderfin application developed by the ITS Abmas team

In this training session, the Kinderfin application was also operated directly by partners to test system performance, recording accuracy, and user acceptance of the application. The results of the initial trial showed positive feedback from teachers, especially regarding the ease of the application in facilitating the administration and reporting process. The Abmas Team also collected suggestions from users to improve the features and appearance of the application to better suit the financial management needs in kindergartens.

Through continuous development, the Kinderfin application is expected to be a long-term solution for school administration management. The ITS Abmas Team plans to continue developing additional features according to the needs of partner schools, as well as ensuring that this application remains relevant to technological developments and financial regulations in the field of education. “With the Kinderfin application, it is hoped that kindergarten managers can easily manage their finances, so that they can focus on improving the quality of their education,” concluded Licha. (ITS PUBLIC RELATIONS)

Reporter: Lathifah Sahda