Dummy school students may restrict board exam access

Class 12 students enrolled in 'dummy schools' may face restrictions on appearing for board exams, according to CBSE officials. They state that both students and parents share the responsibility for non-attendance in regular schools and non-compliance would have serious repercussions, as reported by a news agency.

The dummy school problem came under focus after one such school student became a topper in the JEE (Mains) recently. The student school, SGN Public School at Nangloi, was subsequently disaffiliated last year on the grounds of various infractions, including the enrollment of non-attending students. During a surprise visit, the school was found lacking in its adherence to CBSE norms, following which it faced stringent action.

The Delhi High Court also intervened in the issue, terming the exercise of dummy schools as a "fraud" and ordering CBSE and the Delhi government to take urgent steps. In a January 27, 2025 order, a bench headed by Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela directed authorities to check such centers and make them adhere to attendance standards.

The court also rebuked the trend of students going to coaching centers but officially being enrolled in schools when there is an attendance requirement in place for board exams.

Notably, this practice is very common in the country’s coaching capital-Kota. Renowned coaching institutes in the city applying this trick with their students for a long time.    

CBSE has already acted against more than 300 dummy schools across the country, emphasising the significance of traditional schooling. The board also pointed out that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 encourages all-round learning, which is undermined if students avoid conventional schooling in pursuit of coaching centers.

With the board exams approaching, CBSE’s warning signals a tougher stance on attendance violations, urging students and parents to take school attendance seriously to avoid repercussions.