Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) recently issued a one-month ultimatum for private schools within the metropolis to change their names, aiming to reflect Nepali culture and identity. According to Rule 70 of the KMC School Education Management Regulations of 2074 BS, Kathmandu's private schools are mandated to adopt names reflecting Nepali culture and identity. The KMC has warned that failure to initiate the process to change the names within the given deadline will result in halting admissions for the new academic session. Schools lacking names reflecting Nepali identity are directed to submit an application, along with a decision from the school management committee, within one month to initiate the renaming process in accordance with the regulations. Schools are advised to choose names of significant historical figures, deities from religious mythology, pilgrimage sites, and natural heritage. While this decision may sound appealing to many, it does not address the core issues of ensuring quality education in schools.
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It's worth noting that the Metropolitan Education Department had issued a similar notice last year, yet many schools failed to comply due to concerns regarding branding and the loss of reputation they earned over the years following name changes. The latest move of KMC has sparked controversy as it prioritizes nationalism in naming while neglecting educational quality. The responsibility for this issue lies with both the government and private school operators, as neither adhered to the decades-old law governing private school regulations. Had the education authority insisted on Nepali naming conventions before issuing operation permits, this problem could have been avoided. But as the schools have built their reputation and brands since their establishment years ago, there are concerns among the owners of a number of schools that bear foreign names that abrupt changes in their names will seriously harm the interests of schools and students alike. Additionally, there is no guarantee either that changes in the name of schools will bring the results anticipated by the Kathmandu metropolis. Hence this calls for KMC to take a pragmatic policy so that its decision can eventually yield desired results.
There are currently 858 schools in Kathmandu metropolis, with 771 being private schools. KMC has maintained that it is forced to issue a fresh notice as many private schools failed to change their names despite repeated notices. As a newspaper, we believe that KMC should instead prioritize monitoring school fees and ensuring they correspond to the quality of education provided and facilities provided to students. This approach would align better with KMC's goals. We join in the call of many noted educationists, who have rightfully emphasized the importance of monitoring private school fees, services provided, and educational quality, rather than focusing solely on name changes. Teaching, learning, and overall educational quality are paramount. They overshadow the significance of school names. We are living in the age of globalization and there is hardly anything foreign that we can avoid easily. Thus, unless a school's name directly undermines Nepal’s nationalism and sovereignty, there's little point in enforcing name changes.
