New Delhi- The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced stricter measures to curb the practice of “dummy schools,” stating that students who do not attend regular classes may be disqualified from appearing for Class 12 board examinations.
Officials emphasized that the onus of taking admission in “dummy schools” lies with students and parents.
The board is considering amendments to its examination bye-laws, which could require non-attending students to take the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) exams instead.
A senior CBSE official explained that surprise inspections would be conducted, and students found missing from school may be barred from taking board exams. “The responsibility of ensuring regular attendance falls on both the student and their parents,” the official stated. Schools promoting the dummy school culture or sponsoring non-attending students could also face action under CBSE’s affiliation and examination regulations.
The issue was discussed during a recent Governing Board Meeting, where it was recommended that the new attendance policy be implemented from the 2025-26 academic session. According to existing CBSE regulations, students must maintain at least 75% attendance to be eligible for board exams, with a 25% relaxation granted only for medical emergencies, participation in national or international sports, and other serious reasons.
Students failing to meet the attendance criteria may have to take the NIOS route for their exams. Additionally, schools that facilitate dummy admissions could face disciplinary action. CBSE is also working with NIOS to develop guidelines that will be rolled out in the next academic session.
Dummy schools have become a growing concern, especially among students preparing for engineering and medical entrance exams. Many enroll in such schools to bypass regular attendance, dedicating their time solely to competitive exam preparations. Some students also use dummy schools to qualify for state-specific quotas in medical and engineering colleges, such as Delhi’s state quota.
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