What a school website in Nepal should have

Parents open a school website for four things: notices, admission information, results and a phone number. A good school site puts those one tap away and loads on a phone using mobile data.

Pages every school site needs

• Notices and news, newest first, that staff can post without calling a developer.
• Admissions: classes offered, requirements, dates, fees if you publish them, and an enquiry or application form.
• Academic calendar and exam routine.
• Results or a clear link to where results are published.
• About the school: history, management, teachers, facilities.
• Gallery, kept small so pages stay fast.
• Contact: address, map, phone numbers that are answered, and office hours.

Things that are easy to get wrong

• Notices uploaded only as photos of paper. Search engines and screen readers cannot read them. Type the notice, and attach the scan as well if you need the stamp.
• A site that only works on a computer. Most parents use a phone.
• Large photos that take a minute to load. Resize pictures before uploading.
• No one responsible. Name one staff member who posts notices and one who answers enquiries.
• Using a personal Gmail address. Set up email on the school's own domain.

Domain and hosting

Schools and colleges in Nepal can apply for a free .edu.np domain with their registration documents. Use hosting with SSL so the address shows a padlock, and make sure backups run automatically.

Before you launch

1. Open every page on a phone.
2. Send a test enquiry and check who receives it.
3. Search for the school's name on Google and claim the Google Business Profile so the map, phone number and website link are correct.

Podium Technologies builds and looks after school and college websites in Nepal. You can see examples on our work page.