What parents can ask
Send any of these to the school’s ShuleOne number. Only the first word or phrase matters,
so balance please and balance do the same thing — and if none of them fit, just write
a normal sentence.
Everything here applies to your own children only.
Fees and money
Section titled “Fees and money”| Ask for | Type | Kiswahili |
|---|---|---|
| Current balance | balance · bal · fees · fee |
salio · ada |
| This term’s statement | statement · fee statement |
taarifa |
| The full statement | full statement · complete statement |
taarifa kamili |
| The fee structure | fee structure · fee breakdown |
muundo wa ada · mgawanyo wa ada |
| Recent receipts | receipts · receipt |
risiti · stakabadhi |
| A receipt as a PDF | print receipt · send receipt |
chapisha risiti |
| To pay | pay · pay fees · payment |
lipa · lipa ada · malipo |
| Pocket money | pocket money · spending money |
pesa ya matumizi |
Where the school supports payment prompts, paying starts an M-Pesa prompt on your phone. You confirm it with your own PIN — the message itself does not move any money.
Where prompts are not enabled, WhatsApp shows the M-Pesa Business number and the
exact Account to enter instead. Copy the account exactly as shown: some schools use
a school identifier and campus letter before the admission number to route the payment
correctly. For example, Family Bank’s shared paybill may show an account such as
183506#V1500, not only 1500.
See fees and payments for what happens afterwards.
School work
Section titled “School work”| Ask for | Type | Kiswahili |
|---|---|---|
| Recent exam results | results · exams · exam results |
matokeo · mitihani |
| A full report on one exam | report (then the number from the exam list) |
ripoti |
| What to work on next | learning path · study plan · revision plan |
mpango wa masomo |
| Suggestions | recommendations · recommend |
mapendekezo · ushauri |
| Today’s homework | homework · diary · assignment |
kazi ya nyumbani |
| Coding progress | coding · coding progress · robotics · scratch projects |
Ask for results first: it lists the recent exams with a number against each. Then send
report 12 for the full breakdown of that one.
Attendance and the day
Section titled “Attendance and the day”| Ask for | Type | Kiswahili |
|---|---|---|
| Whether they arrived | attendance · did he arrive · did she arrive |
mahudhurio · amefika shule |
| To report an absence | report absence · will be absent · will miss school |
hatakuja shule · atakosa shule |
| Term dates and notices | calendar · closing date · term dates · notices |
kalenda · tarehe za shule · matangazo |
| School life | school life |
maisha ya shule |
Reporting an absence this way reaches the school properly and is recorded — it is better than a message to a teacher’s personal phone, which may not be passed on.
Transport
Section titled “Transport”| Ask for | Type | Kiswahili |
|---|---|---|
| Where the bus is | where is the bus · bus status · bus |
basi iko wapi · gari iko wapi |
| Route and fee details | transport · transport fee · bus fare |
usafiri · nauli · ada ya basi |
The bus reply tells you where the vehicle is, not whether your child boarded it. See transport.
Admissions
Section titled “Admissions”| Ask for | Type | Kiswahili |
|---|---|---|
| How to join | admission · how to join · enroll · new student |
kujiunga · usajili |
| To visit | book a visit · school tour |
These work whether or not you already have a child at the school, which makes the number worth putting on a flyer.
Getting help
Section titled “Getting help”| Ask for | Type | Kiswahili |
|---|---|---|
| The menu | help · menu · commands · ? |
msaada · menyu · amri |
| A real person | talk to the office · call me back · real person |
ongea na ofisi · nataka kuongea na mtu |
| The parent app | app · get app · download app |
simu |
| To switch language | english · kiswahili |
kiingereza · kiswahili |
If it does not recognise you
Section titled “If it does not recognise you”The assistant matches your phone number against the guardian numbers on your child’s record. If it does not know you:
- You may be messaging from a different number than the school holds.
- The school may have an old number, or a typo in it.
Either way the fix is at the school office, not in WhatsApp. Ask them to check the guardian contact on your child’s record.
If you have several children
Section titled “If you have several children”Ask normally. If the request is ambiguous, the assistant asks which child rather than guessing — or you can name them: “balance for Brian”.