Nigeria
School message set
WhatsApp messages for talking to parents
A full term of parent messages for a Nigerian school, ready to copy. Resumption, fees, results, PTA and sports, written plainly and respectfully. Change the words in braces to your own and send them from your school number.
Twelve ready messages
Approval notes included
Copy and edit
For Nigerian schools
The term ahead
Messages for the start of term
Four messages that open a term. Each one goes out before the parent has said anything, so each one has to be an approved template. The band under them explains what that means and how to fill the braces.
Resumption notice, sent one week before the term starts
Good day {parent}. {school} resumes for {term} on {date}. School opens at 7:30 am and closes at 2:30 pm from the first day. Please make sure {student} comes with the complete uniform, the new session exercise books and a signed medical form. The full term calendar, including mid-term and closing dates, is here: {link}. Thank you.
Book and uniform list, sent three days after the resumption notice
Good day {parent}. The book and uniform list for {student} in {class} is now ready. The books come to ₦{amount} and are available at the school store from {date}, Monday to Friday, 8 am to 3 pm. You can see the full list here: {link}. Please buy before resumption so lessons start on time.
PTA meeting invitation, sent five days before the meeting
Good day {parent}. The PTA meeting for {term} holds on {date} at {time} in the school hall. We will go through the term calendar, the examination timetable and the new bus route. {student}'s class teacher will be available in the classroom after the meeting. Please reply YES if we should expect you.
Mid-term break notice, sent three days before the break
Good day {parent}. {school} closes for mid-term break on {date} and resumes on {resumption}. Work for the break was given in class today and a copy is here: {link}. Please keep {student} safe during the break, and travel early if you are going out of {city}. Thank you.
How to use the set
What Meta must approve, and what you can simply type
WhatsApp treats a message you send first differently from a reply inside a conversation. That one difference decides what you submit for approval and what each message costs.
Approval
Anything you send first is a template
Every message in this set opens the conversation, so all twelve must be submitted as templates and approved by Meta before they can go out. Submit them once at the start of the session and they are ready for the whole term.
Replies
Inside 24 hours you write normally
The moment a parent replies, you have a 24 hour window to answer in your own words, with no template and no approval. Service replies inside that window are free, so the bursar can explain a balance properly instead of squeezing it into a template.
Variables
The words in braces are yours to fill
{parent}, {student}, {term}, {class}, {amount}, {date} and {link} are placeholders. Match each one to a field on your contact list, so one approved template greets every parent by name with the right child, class and amount.
Payments
Fees collected in the same chat
Put a Paystack or Flutterwave link in the fee templates so a parent can pay by card, transfer or USSD without leaving WhatsApp, and the receipt posts straight back into the thread.
Schools
The rest of the parent flows
Admissions enquiries, attendance notes, bus updates and the bursar's queue all sit in one inbox your registrar and accounts staff share. See how Nigerian schools run it.
Fees and payments
Messages about school fees
Fees are the messages parents read most carefully, and the ones they forward to a spouse. Keep the amount, the deadline and the account in the same message so nobody has to ask twice.
Fee reminder, sent two weeks before the deadline
Good day {parent}. School fees for {term} are ₦{amount} for {student} in {class}, and the deadline is {date}. You can pay by transfer to {account}, or pay in this chat here: {link}. If you pay at the bank, please send a photo of the teller so the bursar can post it the same day. Thank you.
Final fee reminder, sent three days before the deadline
Good day {parent}. A gentle reminder that {student}'s fees for {term}, ₦{amount}, are due on {date}. If you have already paid, please ignore this message and accept our thanks. If you need a little more time, reply to this message and the bursar will call you today.
Payment received, sent as soon as the money lands
Thank you {parent}. We have received ₦{amount} towards {student}'s {term} fees. Your balance is now ₦{balance}. Receipt number {receipt} is attached, and it is also in the parent portal. Please keep it, as you will need it on resumption day.
Part payment plan, sent after the bursar agrees it
Good day {parent}. As agreed with the bursar today, {student}'s {term} fees of ₦{amount} will be paid in two parts. ₦{first} is due on {date} and the balance on {second}. Here is the link for the first part: {link}. {student} stays in class throughout, so long as the plan is kept.
In practice
A fee reminder that turns into a payment
One approved template goes out, the parent answers, and everything after that is an ordinary conversation in the bursar's inbox.
The first message is the template
The fee reminder starts the conversation, so it leaves as an approved template with the child, the class, the amount and the deadline filled in from your records.
Her reply opens the free window
Once Mrs Adeyemi answers, the next 24 hours are a normal chat. Service replies in that window are free, and the bursar writes in her own words.
The money never leaves the thread
Payment link, confirmation and receipt all land in the same chat, so nobody is hunting for a teller photo in a class group at 10pm.
Results and events
Messages for results, prize giving and sports
The messages that close a term. They carry a date and, usually, good news, so keep them short and put the link where a parent can find it again next week.
Result ready notification, sent the day results are released
Good day {parent}. {student}'s result for {term} is ready. You can view it on the parent portal here: {link}, or collect a printed copy at the school office from {date}. {student}'s class teacher is available on {day} between {time} if you would like to talk through it before the holiday.
Speech and prize giving day, sent two weeks before
Good day {parent}. Our speech and prize giving day holds on {date} at {time} at {venue}. {student} has a part in the presentation, so please try to arrive by {arrival}. Each family may bring two guests, and the programme is here: {link}. We would be glad to see you.
Inter-house sports, sent one week before
Good day {parent}. Inter-house sports holds on {date} at {venue}, from 8 am to 1 pm. {student} is in {house} and will need the house colour shirt, white shorts and a cap. Gates open at 7:30 am, parking is behind the field, and drinks will be on sale. Thank you.
Excursion consent, sent ten days before the trip
Good day {parent}. {class} is travelling to {venue} on {date}, leaving school at 8 am and back by 3 pm. The cost is ₦{amount} per pupil and covers transport, lunch and entry. Reply YES to give consent for {student}, and pay here: {link}. The list closes on {deadline}.
Questions
Using these templates in your school
Can I change the wording to suit my school?
Yes, and you should. Keep the braces, keep one subject per message, and use the greeting your parents expect. Any edit to an approved template means submitting it for approval again, so make all your changes before you send it up.
What if Meta rejects one of my templates?
Read the reason given, take out anything that reads like an advert or a warning, shorten the message and resubmit. Most rejections we see are about wording, not about the idea, and a rewritten template usually passes on the next try.
Do parents have to opt in before I send these?
Yes. A parent who has messaged your school number, or who ticked the consent box on the admission or registration form, counts. Record where and when each consent was given, and take a parent off the list the moment they ask.
Can these send by themselves?
Yes. In DMly you set the trigger once, a resumption date, a fee deadline or a result release, pick the class or the whole school, and the approved template goes out at the hour you chose without anybody typing.
What does it cost to send to every parent?
Meta bills the conversation at the Nigeria rate and DMly adds nothing. Utility messages like fee reminders and result notices are from ₦11 each, marketing templates are about ₦30 each, and replies inside the 24 hour window are free.
Send the term's messages without typing them
Seven days free on every feature, no card needed, and the Abuja team will submit your first templates with you.