How should schools and coaching centres use WhatsApp and SMS for parents?
Use WhatsApp templates in the right category for notices, dues and receipts, register your entity, headers and templates on DLT for SMS, record consent and opt-outs, and budget messages from the official rate cards.
Last reviewed: Published: 10 min read
Quick answer: parents read WhatsApp, so notices, dues, receipts, attendance and results work best there, with SMS as the fallback for parents who do not use it. WhatsApp business messages use pre-approved templates in categories such as utility, marketing or authentication, billed per message. SMS in India runs through TRAI's DLT system: you register the entity, the sender headers and every template by category, and from 1 Oct 2024 links, APKs and call-back numbers in messages must be whitelisted. Collect and log consent, honour opt-outs and scrub promotional SMS against DND. Rates and rules change often: read Meta's and your telecom provider's current rate cards and treat the 2026 changes below as items to verify.
What can you send on WhatsApp and what is a template?
A business-initiated WhatsApp message outside the customer service window must use a template approved by WhatsApp. Templates have a category, fixed text with variables (child name, due amount, date) and optional buttons. Typical school templates: fee due reminder, fee receipt, attendance alert, exam schedule, parent-teacher meeting, holiday notice and consent request. Templates cannot carry audio: send voice notices as a link, or as a video with a still image.
| Category | Typical school use | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Utility | Fee due, receipt, attendance, exam timetable, bus delay | Transactional; must relate to an existing relationship or action |
| Authentication | OTP for login or consent | Short codes only |
| Marketing | Admission campaign, new batch announcement, event invitation | Needs opt-in; keep out of parent messages unless the parent agreed |
| Service (inside the 24-hour window) | Replying to a parent query | Pricing for service and utility messages is changing; see below |
How are WhatsApp messages priced?
WhatsApp bills per message by category and country. Our research notes record reported changes from 1 Oct 2026: utility messages inside the service window are charged, and service messages are free only for the first 1,000 per number per month. This is a single-source report, so verify against Meta's official rate card before using it. Notes also say INR billing becomes mandatory by 31 Dec 2026 and rates change only in January, April, July or October, with notice.
- What we charge: messaging is billed at cost + up to 10% handling, or 0% markup if the institute connects its own WhatsApp Business account.
- What to ask any vendor: is the rate pass-through, is there a markup, who pays the platform fee, and can you connect your own account?
- How to budget: count the messages of each type that one student’s family receives in a month, multiply by the current rate for each category, and add a buffer.
| Message type | Messages in a month for one family | Category | Cost line |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fee due or receipt | 1 to 2 | Utility | Count × current utility rate |
| Attendance absent alert | 1 to 3 | Utility | Count × current utility rate |
| Notices, holidays, exam schedule | 2 to 4 | Utility | Count × current utility rate |
| Admission or batch campaigns | Per campaign | Marketing | Contacts × current marketing rate |
| Parent replies in the service window | As they come | Service | Free allowance, then rate |
What does DLT mean for SMS in India?
Under the TRAI telecom commercial communications regulations, SMS to Indian numbers goes through DLT (Distributed Ledger Technology) platforms of telecom operators. The school or centre, called the principal entity, registers once and then registers sender headers and message templates. Each template carries a category and variables, and the live message must match the template.
| Item | What to do |
|---|---|
| Principal entity | Register the institute with required documents on one operator's DLT portal |
| Headers (sender IDs) | Register six-character headers per purpose (service, promotional) and keep them short and recognisable |
| Templates | Register each message text by category with {#var#} variable slots; match exactly in production |
| Consent templates and records | Register consent templates and keep opt-in logs |
| URLs, APKs, call-back numbers | Whitelist them since 1 Oct 2024; use a whitelisted short-link domain |
| Promotional versus service | Keep promotional SMS away from DND numbers; 140-series for promotional calls and 160-series for service calls (verify) |
| Template variable checks | Validate variable length and content before sending to avoid rejection |
What consent do parents need to give?
Operational messages about their own child (attendance, fee due, exam) are part of the educational relationship, but you should still give a clear notice, record the preferred channel and language and honour opt-out requests for non-essential messages. Marketing messages need opt-in, and promotional SMS must be scrubbed against DND. Parents of tenant institutes should never receive a software vendor's own promotions through school messages. Under the DPDP Rules, the institute is the fiduciary; log consent with the notice version, the channel and the timestamp, and store opt-outs. See the DPDP guide.
How do you set up messaging step by step?
Setting up WhatsApp and SMS for a school or coaching centre
Step 1: decide the message list
List the 8 to 12 messages you actually need: dues, receipts, absence, notices, exams, PTM, holidays, consent.
Step 2: choose WhatsApp account route
Use the vendor's shared business account or connect your own WhatsApp Business account if you want 0% markup, and complete business verification.
Step 3: create and submit templates
Write each template in Hindi and English with the correct category, and submit for approval.
Step 4: complete DLT for SMS
Register the entity, headers, templates and consent templates, and whitelist links and numbers.
Step 5: collect preferences
Record each parent's phone, language, preferred channel and consent state.
Step 6: test and monitor
Send to staff phones first, check delivery, failures and costs, and fix rejected templates.
Step 7: review monthly
Compare messages sent with the budget, remove noisy messages and update templates when rules or rates change.
How do you keep parents from muting you?
- Send fewer, more useful messages: one daily summary beats five single notices.
- Use the parent's language, and keep messages under 60 words.
- Use quiet hours (no messages late at night) except for emergencies.
- Add a clear reply or call route for queries and an opt-out for non-essential messages.
- Do not use parent messages for the vendor's own promotion.
How does Acavya handle messaging?
The messaging module has a per-institute DLT registry and template-variable validation, a whitelisted short-link domain, opt-in and opt-out logs with DND scrubbing for promotional SMS, correct WhatsApp template categories and a cost estimator that reads the current rate card. Messaging is charged at cost + up to 10% handling, or 0% markup if the institute connects its own WhatsApp Business account. Sending starts once WhatsApp and SMS are connected for your institute: SMS needs your institute’s DLT registration and WhatsApp needs approved templates; see the pricing page.
Do I need DLT registration to send school SMS?
Yes for SMS to Indian numbers: the entity, headers and templates must be registered and the message must match a registered template. Links and call-back numbers must be whitelisted.
Can WhatsApp templates include audio?
No. Templates cannot carry audio. Send audio as a link, or as a video with a still image.
How is messaging priced?
Messaging is charged at cost + up to 10% handling, or 0% markup if the institute connects its own WhatsApp Business account. Cost means the provider's official per-message rate.
Can we send admission ads to parents of current students?
Only to those who opted in to marketing, and use the correct template category. Never use messages for a vendor's own promotions.
Use the pricing calculator to see messaging and licence costs for your student count.
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