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Chalkline.

Notes on running a Nigerian school. Published by SLAET.

8 articlesUpdated weekly

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Editor's pick

What I learned visiting Nigerian schools before writing a line of code
Founder Notes
18 April 20268 min read

What I learned visiting Nigerian schools before writing a line of code

Before SLAET existed, I spent months in classrooms, staff rooms, and bursar's offices across Lagos, Ibadan, Osogbo, and Akure. Here's what I saw, and why it shaped everything we built.

D

Dara

Founder

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Excel is the most expensive free software your school uses
School Management
14 April 20267 min

Excel is the most expensive free software your school uses

It costs nothing to download. It costs everything else. A look at the hidden price tag of running a school on spreadsheets, calculated in hours, errors, and parent complaints.

T
The Chalkline Editors
Why global school software keeps failing Nigerian schools
Education Insights
9 April 20267 min

Why global school software keeps failing Nigerian schools

Foreign platforms promise to work anywhere. Then they arrive in Nigeria and meet CA1, CA2, WAEC, and a parent who wants Naira payments by WhatsApp. Here's what they get wrong.

T
The Chalkline Editors
CA1, CA2, exam: building a grading system that actually matches Nigerian education
Product Updates
4 April 20267 min

CA1, CA2, exam: building a grading system that actually matches Nigerian education

Nigerian schools grade on a pattern no foreign software understands. We rebuilt grading from scratch to match how CA1, CA2, and final exams actually work together. Here's what that looks like.

T
The SLAET Team
The school term that ended with ₦4.2M in uncollected fees
School Management
28 March 20267 min

The school term that ended with ₦4.2M in uncollected fees

A proprietor in Abeokuta showed me her fee ledger. Three terms of partial payments, promised installments, and quiet defaulters. Then we rebuilt her fee tracking in two hours. Here's the method.

T
The Chalkline Editors
The quiet revolution in how Nigerian parents see their children's grades
Education Insights
22 March 20267 min

The quiet revolution in how Nigerian parents see their children's grades

Five years ago, a report card reached a Nigerian parent at end-of-term, if at all. Today parents check their child's CA scores from WhatsApp on a Tuesday afternoon. How we got here.

T
The Chalkline Editors
Announcing the Legacy Program: SLAET, free for schools that need it most
Product Updates
15 March 20267 min

Announcing the Legacy Program: SLAET, free for schools that need it most

Every qualifying nonprofit and mission school in Nigeria gets the full SLAET platform, free, forever. Not a trial. Not a restricted tier. The full product. Here's why, and how to apply.

D
Dara
A proprietor's guide to surviving end-of-term admin
School Management
8 March 20268 min

A proprietor's guide to surviving end-of-term admin

The last two weeks of term are where proprietors burn out. Report cards. Fee reconciliation. Next-term communications. Payroll. Here's a week-by-week system to make it manageable.

D
Dara

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