All schools in Qatar would soon have a uniform domain (.sch.qa) for their websites as the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) has launched a campaign to encourage schools to adopt a Qatar-specific Internet domain.
The CRA move is being welcomed by managements of several private schools which are set to adopt the transition.
“To provide an exclusive Qatar-specific Internet domain to all schools in the country, the CRA has initiated a drive to increase the uptake of .sch.qa to help schools better connect to their audience using a domain that reflects their uniquely Qatar presence,” said a statement issued yesterday.
CRA said that .sch.qa domain provides a clear differentiation for websites of schools from .edu.qa being used by institutions offering higher education. The Peninsula has observed that currently different schools have different Internet domains for their websites. Some private schools have websites with .org domain like Bhavan’s Public School, Lycee Franco-Qatarien Voltaire and Sherborne Qatar etc.
A number of schools are using .com domain like Cambridge International School for Girls, Compass International School, Doha British School, Doha Modern Indian School, Iqraa English School and The Scholars’ International School etc. Some schools use .com.qa domain like Dukhan English School while some are using .net like The English Modern School.
Talking to The Peninsula, AK Srivastava, principal of the Birla Public School (BPS), welcomed the move saying: “We will love moving to the new domain as it will bring uniformity in the system.”
A number of schools like BPS, Newton International School, Pak Shama School, Qatar Canadian School and The Lebanese School etc. have websites with .edu.qa domain.
At present, only a few schools like Gulf English School have websites with domain .sch.qa. Some schools do not have a website at all.
“As part of CRA’s mandate to manage access to digital media, and to enable the development of a digital society for Qatar’s continued journey to be a smart, connected nation, CRA has introduced .sch.qa to schools operational in Qatar,” said Faisal Ali Al-Shuaibi, CRA’s official spokesperson.
“This is an excellent opportunity for all schools that currently have websites with .edu.qa domain names to transition to .sch.qa extension and help establish the correct domain positioning of their institution,” he added.
Schools that need to register new websites under .sch.qa or that would like to change to the uniform internet domain for their existing website should get in touch with Qatar Domains Registry Support Team by sending an email to – [email protected] for assistance.
Qatar has provided several extensions for individuals, communities, local entities, and businesses to choose from depending on the identity, intent and purpose of the domain name. Qatar Domains Registry (QDR), an entity under CRA, has registered more than 22,000 Qatar specific domains so far.
