Private schools bearing foreign names will have to switch to Nepali names within six months, according to proposed guidelines for private and boarding schools.

As per the proposed guidelines for private and boarding schools 2012, new schools will not be allowed to pick foreign names.

According to the guidelines, schools should be named as per Rule 154 of the Education Rules-2059, which states that the names should reflect the Nepali identity. Notwithstanding this rule, government officials had allowed proprietors to name private schools after foreign personalities and football clubs, among others. Earlier this year, youth wings of opposition parties had launched protests against the practice of giving foreign names to educational institutions.

As per the guidelines, schools cannot put the word ‘international’ without fulfilling certain criteria. “A-grade schools, institutions awarded with ISO certification or those with at least one percent foreign students can add ‘international’ to their names,” according to the guidelines prepared by a committee formed under Tek Narayan Pandey, director at the Department of Education.

Only those institutions that are registered under trusts can receive support from the trusts and can be named after saints, litterateurs, scientists and educationists. The guidelines will come into effect once Education Minister okays it.

source: The Himalayan Times,31 Oct 2012