School Management System for Colombia

Yes. SIMAT (Sistema Integrado de Matricula) is the MEN system where every establecimiento educativo reports enrollment. The platform maps internal estudiante records to SIMAT categories: identificacion type (Registro Civil for menores, Tarjeta de Identidad for 7-17, Cedula for adults), sede, jornada (manana, tarde, noche, unica), grado, and grupo. Novedades (traslados, retiros, promociones, aplazamientos) generate in the SIMAT anexo format. The November census and mid-year corte reconciliation drops from weeks of spreadsheet work to a same-day export. Schools running SIMAT alongside their internal SIS handle the mapping centrally instead of re-keying.

ICFES publishes Saber results per estudiante via the ICFES portal after each application. The platform captures Saber 11 results for grado 11 cohorts (the main university-entrance exam), Saber Pro for higher-education exit, and diagnostic Saber 3, 5, 7, and 9 results. Scores store per area (Lectura Critica, Matematicas, Sociales y Ciudadanas, Ciencias Naturales, Ingles). Historical trend analysis positions each cohort against national and departamental averages, and against the establecimiento educativo historical baseline. Directivas docentes use this data for the Plan de Mejoramiento Institucional required by Guia 34.

Yes. Decreto 1290 de 2009 gives each establecimiento educativo autonomy over its Sistema Institucional de Evaluacion de Estudiantes (SIEE) within the MEN framework of desempeno superior, alto, basico, and bajo. The boletin templates support the four-level valoracion scale, competencias per area, observaciones cualitativas, and the Comision de Evaluacion y Promocion workflow. Schools running an internal decimal scale (1.0-5.0) or a percentage scale in parallel handle both without dual-entry. Recuperacion, actividades de superacion, and promocion anticipada workflows generate from the same source data.

Fees bill in COP through openeducat_fees with matricula anual, pension mensual, and cobros periodicos aligned with the MEN-regulated fee ceilings per estrato and per regimen (regimen de libertad regulada, libertad vigilada, or regimen controlado). DIAN factura electronica integration generates compliant XML with CUFE (Codigo Unico de Facturacion Electronica) for VAT-applicable services (transporte escolar, uniforme, comedor) where the school qualifies as an obligado a facturar electronicamente. Local payment gateway integrations include PSE (the ACH interbank network), Wompi, PayU Latam, ePayco, and Nequi for parent installment payments through banking apps.

Yes. Calendario A schools follow the February-November academic year (the majority of Colombian schools). Calendario B schools follow the August-June academic year (international schools, some private bilingual schools, and specific Departamentos). The platform supports both calendars in parallel, which matters for multi-campus groups running calendario A in most sedes and calendario B in an international-focused sede. Boletin templates, exam schedules, and matricula cycles configure independently per sede. SIMAT reporting uses the correct calendar per sede in the annual census.

Ciudad Educativa, Phidias, and Cerebrum are the main Colombian school management platforms competing at different segments (Phidias strong at colegios calendario B, Ciudad Educativa strong at public and mixed-fund schools, Cerebrum at colegios calendario A private). OpenEduCat differentiates on three fronts: LGPLv3 open source with self-hosting option (no vendor lock-in for large groups like Gimnasio Moderno or Colegio San Bartolome that value data sovereignty); native integration between SIS, LMS, fees, and admissions on one database (versus module-by-module pricing at competitors); and multi-campus consolidation for grupos educativos that operate 5+ sedes with group-level financial reporting to the Consejo Directivo.

A single Colombian colegio with 800-1,500 estudiantes typically goes live in 8-14 semanas: 2 semanas data migration (from SIMAT extracts, historical Excel gradebooks, existing DIAN factura systems); 2-3 semanas COP chart-of-accounts, DIAN factura electronica setup, and pension mensual configuration; 2-3 semanas Decreto 1290 SIEE alignment and boletin template configuration; 2-3 semanas Spanish-language UI rollout and staff training; 2-3 semanas parallel run; cutover at the start of an academic term (mid-January for calendario A, late-July for calendario B). Implementation partners with MEN, SIMAT, and DIAN experience are available in Bogota and Medellin.