The Maharashtra government has initiated a significant drive to regulate the naming of schools across the state, aiming to clamp down on institutions that use potentially misleading labels like 'international', 'global', or even 'CBSE' in their titles without proper justification.
New Circular Sets Strict Naming Guidelines
In a decisive move, the state's Directorate of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education issued a circular on December 15, 2025, highlighting widespread inconsistencies in how schools brand themselves. The directive points out that numerous institutions affiliated with the state board, the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE), and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) have been adopting such labels. This practice, authorities argue, has the potential to create significant confusion among parents, students, and the general public about the actual nature and standing of these schools.
The circular provides clear definitions to curb this trend. It mandates that unless a school has operational branches in two or more countries, it cannot label itself as 'global'. Similarly, the use of the term 'international' is to be restricted only to schools that are formally affiliated with globally recognised boards such as Cambridge International Education or the International Baccalaureate (IB). Furthermore, the circular explicitly states that using 'CBSE' in a school's name is legally inappropriate, as it refers specifically to the central government's examination board and not to the institution itself.
Review of Existing and Proposed Schools
This scrutiny will not be limited to new institutions. Existing schools with names that fall foul of the new guidelines will also be reviewed and may be forced to rebrand. The issue came to the forefront during a state-level authority meeting on December 10, which was examining proposals for the approval and upgradation of new self-financed schools.
The department has already identified that 11 newly proposed schools in Maharashtra have used the term "international" in their names. Field officers have now been instructed to verify the credentials of these cases thoroughly before any revised proposals are submitted for approval. The government's concern is that such terminology could mislead not just parents and students, but also the government and society at large.
Broader Implications and Enforcement
The circular outlines a comprehensive review process for future school recognition proposals. Authorities are now required to meticulously assess an institution's proposed name, its actual board affiliation, its medium of instruction, and whether it operates other branches nationally or internationally. If a name is found to be misleading, the school will be compelled to change it before the proposal can move forward to the state authority for final approval.
In addition to regulating flashy prefixes, the directive also addresses a related issue: some schools approved as Marathi-medium institutions have been branding themselves as English-medium schools. This further underscores the government's intent to ensure transparency and accuracy in how educational institutions present themselves to the public.
The overarching goal of this regulatory push is to protect the interests of students and parents, ensuring they can make informed choices based on accurate information about a school's curriculum, affiliations, and scale of operations.
