To provide an exclusive Qatar-specific Internet domain to all schools in the country, the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) has initiated a drive to increase the uptake of .sch.qa, and help schools better connect to their audience using a domain that reflects their uniquely Qatar presence.
The .sch.qa domain provides a clear differentiation for websites of schools from .edu.qa being used by institutions offering higher education. This move benchmarks the management of Qatar’s country code top-level domain (ccTLD) extensions – categories of Internet domain names – with international best practices, and standards encouraged by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
“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. This will bring a higher level of differentiation to the online presence of educational institutions 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.
Registration Process: Schools that need to register new websites under .sch.qa or that would like to transition to the correct internet domain name for their existing website, should get in touch with Qatar Domains Registry Support Team by sending an email to – support@domains.qa for assistance.
Qatar has the provision of 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, is responsible for the management and policy development of the country’s ccTLD, working closely with ICANN. QDR has registered more than 22,000 Qatar specific domains so far.
Acquiring a .qa domain names allow a business to secure a reliable and user-friendly registry with regional credibility on the World Wide Web. A .qa domain will also ensure that you reflect more personalized customer care to your audience not only in Qatar but also in the region. And just like Qatar’s global reputation, using a Qatar Domain will help you grow in profile.