Question 1

What is MALCOM POS-SMS?

Accepted Answer

An all-in-one platform that combines school management, point of sale, SACCO, farm management and business operations into one secure app.

Question 2

Who is MALCOM POS-SMS for?

Accepted Answer

Schools, shops, pharmacies, SACCOs, farms, restaurants, hotels, mobile-money agents and any small or medium business in East Africa and the Gulf.

Question 3

Do I need internet to use it?

Accepted Answer

Core operations like sales, attendance and marks entry work offline. Data syncs automatically when the device comes back online.

Question 4

Which devices does it work on?

Accepted Answer

Any modern Android phone, iPhone, tablet, laptop or desktop with a Chrome, Safari or Edge browser.

Question 5

Does it work in my language?

Accepted Answer

The app ships with English and is structured to add Luganda, Swahili and Arabic translations on request.

Question 6

Is there a free trial?

Accepted Answer

Yes. New tenants get a free trial period to test the system before subscribing.

Question 7

How do I get started?

Accepted Answer

Tap Request Demo on this site or message us on WhatsApp. Our team will create your tenant workspace and walk you through setup.

Question 8

Can I manage many classes and streams?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Create unlimited classes, streams and subjects, and assign teachers per subject.

Question 9

Can teachers enter marks?

Accepted Answer

Teachers log in with their Code + PIN and enter marks for the classes and subjects they are assigned to.

Question 10

Who approves the marks?

Accepted Answer

Head Teacher / Director of Studies approves submitted marks before report cards are generated.

Question 11

Can I track attendance?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Daily attendance and term attendance with parent SMS alerts.

Question 12

Does it have a timetable?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Build the school timetable and share it with teachers, students and parents.

Question 13

Can it handle exams and grading scales?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Define exam types (BOT, Mid-term, EOT, Final, Mock) with custom grading scales.

Question 14

Can I print student lists and IDs?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Print class lists and bulk-print student ID cards with QR codes.

Question 15

Does it support boarding schools?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Boarding fields, dormitories, feeding and outpass tracking are included.

Question 16

Can I sell with my phone?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The POS works on any phone, tablet or computer. Sell, print receipts and accept mobile money.

Question 17

Can I scan barcodes?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Use the phone camera or a USB / Bluetooth barcode scanner.

Question 18

Can I track stock?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Stock intake, transfers, adjustments, low-stock alerts and stock-ledger reports.

Question 19

Can I sell on credit?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Suspend sales, take partial payments, and track customer credit balances.

Question 20

Does it print receipts?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Print on thermal Bluetooth printers, A4 printers, or share by WhatsApp.

Question 21

Can multiple cashiers work at once?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Each cashier logs in with their own Code + PIN, and all sales are tracked per user.

Question 22

Can I price in many currencies?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The FX engine supports UGX, USD, AED, KES and more.

Question 23

Can I run a restaurant or bar?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Tables, tabs, splits and KOT printing are supported.

Question 24

Can I manage SACCO members?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Add members, capture KYC, photos and signatures, and assign account numbers.

Question 25

Does it handle savings?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Deposits, withdrawals, share capital and interest accruals.

Question 26

Does it handle loans?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Loan applications, approval workflow, disbursement and repayment schedules.

Question 27

Can members get statements?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Print or send PDF/WhatsApp statements to members on demand.

Question 28

Are there approval workflows?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Loans pass through officer, committee and manager approval stages.

Question 29

Can SACCO members log in to a portal?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Members can log in with Code + PIN to view balances and statements.

Question 30

Can I report to the regulator?

Accepted Answer

Standard SACCO reports (savings, loans, defaulters, capital) are generated automatically.

Question 31

Can I track animals?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Tag each animal, record breed, health events, vaccinations and weight gain.

Question 32

Can I track crops?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Plots, seasons, inputs, harvests and yields per acre.

Question 33

Does it track inputs and costs?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Capture seeds, fertilisers, pesticides and labour costs against each crop or animal.

Question 34

Can I record sales of produce?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Sell harvests through the POS module and link revenue back to the farm.

Question 35

Does it support poultry?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Layers, broilers, feed conversion and egg production tracking.

Question 36

Can I share farm reports with investors?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Export PDF reports or share via WhatsApp.

Question 37

How do I add new stock?

Accepted Answer

Use Stock Intake to record items received, with supplier, cost price and expiry date.

Question 38

Can I transfer between branches?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Transfer stock between branches and the system updates both balances.

Question 39

Does it alert me when stock is low?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Set reorder levels per product and receive low-stock notifications.

Question 40

Can I do stock audits?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Stock counts and adjustments are recorded with reason and user.

Question 41

Does it track expiry?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Products with expiry dates are flagged before they go out of date.

Question 42

Can I see the full stock history?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The stock ledger shows every movement of every product.

Question 43

What can I scan?

Accepted Answer

Student IDs, staff cards, product barcodes, receipts and SACCO member cards.

Question 44

Do I need a special scanner?

Accepted Answer

No. The phone camera works. USB and Bluetooth scanners are also supported.

Question 45

Can I bulk print QR codes?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The QR Bulk page prints sheets of student or product QR labels.

Question 46

What happens when I scan a student?

Accepted Answer

The system opens the student profile with attendance, fees and report card.

Question 47

Can I verify receipts by QR?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Customers scan the receipt QR to verify it on our public verify-receipt page.

Question 48

How do staff log in?

Accepted Answer

Each staff member receives a Code + PIN from the school or business owner.

Question 49

Do I need emails for each staff?

Accepted Answer

No. Code + PIN works without email. Email is optional.

Question 50

Can I change a staff PIN?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Owner, HM or Admin can reset PINs from the Login Codes page.

Question 51

What roles are supported?

Accepted Answer

Owner, Admin, Boss, Head Teacher, DOS, Teacher, Bursar, Cashier, Manager, Staff, Parent, Student, SACCO Member, Agent and more.

Question 52

Can I limit what a staff member sees?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Role-based permissions control every module and action.

Question 53

Can I see who did what?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Login history and audit logs record every important action.

Question 54

Can parents log in?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Parents receive a Code + PIN by WhatsApp or SMS and can view their child's marks, fees and attendance.

Question 55

Can a parent see many children?

Accepted Answer

Yes. One parent account can be linked to multiple students across classes.

Question 56

Can students log in too?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Students can view their own marks, timetable, fees and assignments.

Question 57

Can parents pay fees through the portal?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Mobile money payments can be initiated from the portal where enabled.

Question 58

Can parents chat with the school?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Role-scoped chat lets parents message the class teacher or HM securely.

Question 59

How are report cards generated?

Accepted Answer

After HM/DOS approves marks, the report generator combines selected exams and produces ranked report cards instantly.

Question 60

Can I include teacher comments?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Teacher and HM comments, plus auto comments based on grade, are supported.

Question 61

Do report cards show position?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Position in class, total and average are calculated automatically.

Question 62

Can I download report cards as PDF?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Each report card can be downloaded as a PDF or shared on WhatsApp.

Question 63

Can I show the student's photo?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Student photos are included on the report card.

Question 64

Can parents see fee balances on the report card?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The report card shows fees balance and the date next term begins.

Frequently Asked Questions

General questions

School management

POS / Shop management

SACCO management

Farm / Agriculture

Stock and inventory

QR / Barcode scanning

Staff login and permissions

Parent and student portal

Report cards and marks

Fees and payments

Branches

Subscriptions and vouchers

PWA / app installation

Data security and backups

Support and training