Day 1: Learners and guardians
We: Check your sheet, run the preview, load the roll with you watching.
You: Send the learner and guardian list as it is (Excel or an export from your old system).
Switching to Opero
Moving to Opero in 14 days.
Moving to Opero takes about 14 days. We load your learners and guardians on day 1, fee structure and opening balances on day 3, and go live on day 14 after a parallel run. Setup is KSh 0 for a school switching from another system, with the scope agreed in writing. Your old data stays yours and exportable.
The 14-day plan
You never stop running the school. The old system keeps working until day 14, and for a few days both run side by side so you can check Opero against what you know.
Day 3: Fee structure and balances
We: Load the fee structure; bring opening balances across as at your census date.
You: Choose the census date and send the fee structure and the balance list for that date.
Day 5: Parent portal invitations
We: Check guardian phone numbers and prepare the invitation wording.
You: Tell parents to expect it and tell us who answers the phone at school.
Day 7: Staff and payroll
We: Load staff; set up payroll with the tax rates your accountant gives us.
You: Send the staff list. Your accountant confirms PAYE, SHIF and housing levy rates.
Day 10: Parallel run
We: Compare Opero totals with your old system line by line and fix differences.
You: Keep using the old system for a few days and tell us every difference you see.
Day 14: Go live
We: Switch your M-Pesa and bank matching on and stay on call the first week.
You: Stop entering new work in the old system. Keep its export.
You do not have to move your history
Pick a census date, usually the last day of a month or term. You bring across what each family owes on that day, and nothing before it. Each balance appears on the family’s statement as “balance brought forward, as at” that date, so a parent can see where the figure came from. Past terms stay in the exports from your old system.
- Preview before anything is saved. You see how every column was read, the total being brought across (check it against your old report), and every problem row, which you can download.
- Safe to run twice. Learners and balances already brought across are skipped, never duplicated.
- Every import is in your audit log, with who ran it and the totals.
What we move for you, and what you do
| Thing | How it moves |
|---|---|
| Learners and guardians | You upload it (Learners > Import learners) and see a preview first. We sit with you for the first one. |
| Opening fee balances (as at your census date) | You upload it (Finance > Opening balances) and see a preview first. We sit with you for the first one. |
| Bank statement (to match fees paid) | You upload it (Finance > Bank statement import) and see a preview first. We sit with you for the first one. |
| Fee structure (by class and term) | You fill in the sheet; we load it for you as part of the agreed scope (no upload screen yet). |
| Staff (for HR and Payroll) | You fill in the sheet; we load it for you as part of the agreed scope (no upload screen yet). |
Setup fee: KSh 0 for a switching school. Schools switching from an existing system pay no setup fee. The scope of moving your old records is agreed in writing before work starts. Any work outside that scope is quoted separately before it starts.
The free switch kit
One template for each thing you move, with example rows, and a one-page checklist. The rows under the heading are examples. Delete them and type your own.
How Opero compares, using what each vendor published
Only facts the vendors published, with the date we read them. Prices and features change, so check the vendor’s own page before you decide. “Not published” means we could not find it, not that it does not exist.
| Question | Opero | Mzizi | Zeraki | Elimikasasa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price published on site | Yes: KSh 250 per learner per term, add-ons flat per term | Yes: Bursar pack KES 250 per learner per term plus KES 34,800 configuration; Combined KES 350 plus KES 63,800 (read 25 Oct 2026) | Not published: demo and quote only (read 27 Oct 2026) | Free up to 100 students; Premium KES 2,500 per month, unlimited students (read 25 Oct 2026) |
| Setup or configuration fee | KSh 0 when switching (scope in writing) | KES 34,800 to 63,800 configuration, by pack (read 25 Oct 2026) | Not published | Not stated; "Switch and Save: 12 months free when migrating" (read 25 Oct 2026) |
| M-Pesa fee collection | Built; your school’s own payment credentials are set up during onboarding | Yes, plus bank reconciliation (read 25 Oct 2026) | Not stated on its Finance page (read 27 Oct 2026) | Paybill, Till and STK with auto-reconciliation (read 25 Oct 2026) |
| Payroll | Yes: HR and Payroll add-on, your own tax rates | Not listed on its features page (read 27 Oct 2026) | Not listed on its Analytics or Finance pages (read 27 Oct 2026) | Yes, with SHIF and housing levy (read 25 Oct 2026) |
| Trip-level boarding and drop-off record | Yes: per learner, with guardian acknowledgement | Route assignment and transport billing only (read 27 Oct 2026) | Not listed (read 27 Oct 2026) | Transport module listed, detail not stated (read 25 Oct 2026) |
| Library module | No | Yes (read 27 Oct 2026) | Not listed | Not stated |
| Bulk SMS to parents | Through your own provider account | SMS, email and WhatsApp (read 27 Oct 2026) | Yes, by SMS (read 27 Oct 2026) | 250 SMS a month on the free tier (read 25 Oct 2026) |
Choose them if a library module or a free tier for a very small school is what matters most. Choose Opero if trip-level transport records, payroll and a published price in one system matter more.
Questions
Do I lose my history if I switch?
No history has to move. You bring across what each family owes on a census date you choose, and it is printed on their statement as "balance brought forward, as at" that date. Keep your old system’s exports for the past; Opero starts clean from the census date.
What does switching cost?
Schools switching from an existing system pay no setup fee. The scope of moving your old records is agreed in writing before work starts. The setup fee is KSh 0 for a switching school. After that the price is the published card: KSh 250 per learner per term for the base system, plus a flat fee per term for each add-on you choose.
Can Opero read my Zeraki or Mzizi export?
Neither company publishes its export layout, so we do not claim a one-click import. Opero recognises common column names (for example Adm No, Names, Bal B/F), shows how every column was read before saving anything, and lists each problem row. If an export does not map cleanly we map it with you as part of the agreed scope.
What if I upload the same file twice?
Nothing is duplicated. Learners whose admission number is already on your roll are skipped, and a family that already has its balance brought across is skipped. Every import is written to your audit log.
What happens to my old data?
Your old system is not touched. You keep using it during the parallel run and keep its exports afterwards. Your records in Opero are yours: any learner’s record can be exported at any time, and nothing is deleted while an account is unpaid or when it is closed.
What does Opero not have yet?
Honestly: no timetable module, no library module, no biometric attendance, and no native phone app (Opero is a web app you can install from the browser). SMS and WhatsApp alerts go through your own provider account and are not on by default. Fee receipts are not yet transmitted to KRA eTIMS. If one of these is essential on day 1, tell us before you decide.
Do parents have to do anything?
Parents sign in to the parent portal with the phone number you hold for them. We help you tell them what to expect on day 5.
Can I keep my current system and add only payroll or transport safety?
Yes. See the page for schools staying on their current system.
Staying on your current system for now? Add only HR and Payroll or Transport safety. Want to check your fee receipts first? Take the 1-minute TCC check.
Ask for your switch plan
Tell us what you use today. You get a written scope and a date plan, not a sales call.