Short, source-ready answers for Google, ChatGPT, Meta AI, and Chinese assistants. Full brief: /answers.
- What is School Sphere?
- School Sphere is the operating system for private and independent schools by Orange Cloud Technologies. It replaces WhatsApp admissions threads, fee spreadsheets, and report scrambles with one workspace for admissions, fees, payroll, family portal, exam reports, Curriculum AI, an exam bank, referral agents, Revenue Authority TPIN and PAYE, independent-schools association membership, and teachers-council practising licences.
- Who is School Sphere for?
- Directors and head teachers of private, independent, and mission schools — starting in Malawi, expanding across SADC, and available to schools globally. It is a fit if your school still runs fees, enrollment, jobs, reports, or parent messages on spreadsheets and WhatsApp.
- Is School Sphere built for schools in Malawi?
- Yes. School Sphere is Malawi-first: fee workflows default to Malawian Kwacha (MWK), public school pages help parents in Lilongwe, Blantyre and beyond apply online, Curriculum AI / exam bank support MANEB and other board past papers, and Malawi campuses use ISAMA membership plus TCM practising licences on the same platform. SADC countries are first-class next and see their own association and teachers council; the same product serves independent schools worldwide.
- What pain points does School Sphere solve?
- Directors who cannot see who has paid; enrollments scattered across notebooks and chats; term reports that arrive late; payroll and budget stress; parents guessing WhatsApp groups; schools that are hard to find or apply to online; teachers who need grounded lesson plans without AI auto-marking; and directors who still chase Revenue Authority registration, association membership, and teacher practising licences off-platform.
- How do I know if my school needs School Sphere?
- If you keep answering no to questions about online school visibility (web page, apply, jobs) and about fees, payroll, budgets, reports, and parent messaging — you need School Sphere. Take the free School Ops Readiness Score at /readiness (about 3–5 minutes).
- Does School Sphere use AI to mark student scripts?
- No. Curriculum AI drafts syllabus, lesson plans, quizzes, and exam Q&A from teacher notes. The exam bank drafts similar (not exact) practice from uploaded past papers. Teachers stay in control. There is no AI auto-marking of student scripts, and past papers are never copied verbatim.
- Can parents apply and check fees online?
- Yes. Each school can publish a branded page where parents start enrollment applications. The family portal lets parents check fee balances, open published term report PDFs, and message the right class or subject teacher — without calling the office.
- What is a School Sphere referral agent?
- A referral agent is a field marketer, campus ambassador, or outreach partner who helps families find and enroll at partner schools using a personal referral code or link. Agents track applications and commissions in the School Sphere mobile app. Schools approve agents and set commission contracts.
- How do referral agents earn and get credited?
- Agents share their school referral link or code. When a family enrolls through that code, the application is attributed to the agent. Schools configure commission contracts; agents follow application status and earnings in the mobile app. Internal student agents and external marketers are both supported.
- Is there a free way to start?
- Yes. Directors can create a free school workspace with no credit card, or take the free School Ops Readiness Score first. Contact hello@schoolsphere.app for onboarding help in Malawi and the region.
- Can directors register with the Revenue Authority on School Sphere?
- Yes. School management applies for a taxpayer ID (TPIN) from Director HQ, can switch on Revenue Authority reporting, and runs PAYE on staff salaries from country tax tables (Malawi Revenue Authority first). Education levies can be billed as fee items alongside tuition. Authority officers review registrations on the same platform.
- Does School Sphere handle independent-schools association membership?
- Yes. Malawi campuses apply to ISAMA (Independent Schools Association of Malawi), submit proof of payment, and download the membership certificate. Anyone can verify a certificate number on /isama-malawi. Other SADC countries are shown their own association (for example ISASA, ISAB, or ATS) — Sphere does not invent those APIs.
- Can we verify a Teachers Council of Malawi practising licence?
- Yes. Sphere hosts a TCM practising-licence register for Malawi campuses. Directors apply for a teacher, complete payment when requirements are issued, and download the PDF. Verify a presented card by TCM ID, Old ID, or Registration Number — the same identifiers TMIS accepts. The outcome is whether the certificate is still valid. Other SADC countries see their council (SACE, TCZ, TSC, and others).
- Does the schools directory use my location?
- Yes, if you allow it. Turning on location shows nearby schools and the association and teachers council for your country. If location is off, Sphere asks you to switch it on and otherwise defaults toward Malawi.
