> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://schoolmanagerp.gitbook.io/schoolmanagerp-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://schoolmanagerp.gitbook.io/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/help/cant-see-this.md).

# Why can't I see this?

A page is missing from the menu, a button is missing, a list is empty, or a widget is missing from the dashboard? Most of the time this is not a mistake. The app shows each person only the things for their work. Go through the questions below in order. The first one where the answer is "no" is your answer.

<figure><img src="https://1521882729-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F4VUIF0J625mjr4UQwChh%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-64f7b4c1b3359bcbede23ec4ac36c9d00941e1e2%2Fhelp-cant-see-this.svg?alt=media" alt="Five questions in order when something is missing: is the right role selected, does the role have permission, if you are a teacher do you have a section duty, is the right school selected, is it the right academic year; if all are yes, check whether the dashboard widget is hidden, then tell your admin" width="720"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

**On this page**

* [Find it in five questions](#steps)
* [Why this happens](#why)
* [See also](#more)

***

## Find it in five questions <a href="#steps" id="steps"></a>

1. **Are you in the right role?** One person can have more than one role in the same school, for example teacher and accountant. The app shows only the pages of the role selected now.
   * **If not:** Pick the other role from the **Switch school or role** menu at the top. Which role sees what: [Roles and permissions](/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/settings/roles.md#matrix).
   * If you are a guardian or a student, you do not see the staff pages. If you open a link to a staff page, the app takes you to your own portal.
2. **Does your role have permission for this work?** Almost every page in the menu needs a permission. If the role does not have it, the page does not appear in the menu at all. The same rule applies to the bottom menu on a phone. If you open the page directly from a link, the screen says **You don't have access to this page.**
   * **If not:** Ask the school admin. The permissions of each role are fixed, and you cannot make your own. If needed, the admin will give you another role. See [Roles and permissions](/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/settings/roles.md).
3. **If you are a teacher, have you been given a section duty?** A teacher sees only the students, attendance and marks of the sections given to them. With no duty, the lists are empty, and the attendance page says **No sections assigned yet**.
   * **If not:** The admin gives you a section from the [Giving teachers class and section duties](/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/students/teaching-assignments.md) page. The duty must be for a class in the current academic year.
4. **Is the right school selected?** Each branch is a separate school in the app. Students, fees or staff of one school are not shown in another.
   * **If not:** Pick the right school from the **Switch school or role** menu at the top. When you switch, the pages you had open in the old school close. More: [If you are in more than one school](/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/start/sign-in.md#task-school), [A school and its branches](/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/admin-setup/how-it-works.md#task-branches).
5. **Are you looking at the right academic year?** Classes, fee structures, admissions and exams all live inside one academic year. When you open a list, the app usually picks the **current** year first.
   * **If not:** If the page has an **Academic year** box (for example the page for creating fee bills), pick the right year there. When a new year starts, the admin makes the new year the current one: [Change the current academic year](/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/classes/academic-years.md#task-current).

**All five are "yes", but a widget is missing from the dashboard?** You may have hidden the widget yourself. Each role keeps its own layout, saved separately. If everything is hidden, the screen says **All widgets are hidden**. Press **Customise**, tick it in the hidden list, then press **Save**: [Customise the dashboard](/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/dashboard/customise.md#task-main). If the widget is not in the hidden list either, it is not for your role.

**If it is still not fixed:** Tell the school admin: which page or thing you are looking for, and which role and school you are in. See [What to do when something goes wrong](/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/help/troubleshooting.md#help).

***

## Why this happens <a href="#why" id="why"></a>

* **The role decides who sees what.** The admin sees everything. A teacher sees their own sections, an accountant sees fees and payments, and guardians and students see only their own information.
* **This is for safety.** No one sees another section's students, or another school's money records, even by mistake.
* **If it looks wrong,** do not change anything yourself. Tell the admin. What the words mean: [Role](/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/help/glossary.md#role), [Teacher assignment](/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/help/glossary.md#teacher-assignment), [Academic year](/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/help/glossary.md#academic-year).

***

## See also <a href="#more" id="more"></a>

* [What to do when something goes wrong](/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/help/troubleshooting.md): fixes by the message on the screen.
* [Roles and permissions](/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/settings/roles.md): what each role can do.
* [Giving teachers class and section duties](/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/students/teaching-assignments.md): which sections a teacher sees.
* [Finding any page](/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/start/find-anything.md): open a page by typing its name.

***

*Version 0.1.0 · Last verified 2026-10-25*