Dummy admissions have long been an open secret in India’s education system, particularly in Bihar, where students enroll in schools just for the sake of board exams while focusing entirely on coaching institutes. Now, with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) tightening its rules, this practice faces serious disruption. The Board’s decision to ban students not regularly attending affiliated schools from appearing in Class 12 board exams is a direct challenge to a system that had normalized non-attendance for years.
The crackdown will have a significant impact in Bihar, where thousands of students traditionally join coaching hubs while remaining formally enrolled in government or aided schools. Many shift from CBSE schools to state-run institutions after their Class 10 exams to exploit loopholes and avoid regular schooling. However, after two rounds of inspections in Bihar, Delhi, Kota, and other key coaching destinations, CBSE found widespread irregularities and decided it was time to act.
According to CBSE Chairman Rahul Singh, inspections included videography to ensure schools were following affiliation norms. Singh stressed that the inspections were part of regular monitoring but acknowledged that the findings called for immediate corrective measures. Non-attending students detected in CBSE-affiliated schools will now be required to shift to the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) to complete their board examinations. Additionally, schools found guilty will face strict penalties.
The issue goes beyond paperwork. Last year, CBSE had already warned affiliated schools about the dangers of dummy admissions, pointing out that they compromise students’ intellectual and emotional growth by reducing education to a mere formality. Adding to the concern, renowned physicist Prof. HC Verma recently highlighted the dangers of the coaching culture during a lecture at the Central University of South Bihar. He warned that the obsession with quick success is eroding classroom culture and negatively impacting students’ mental health.
While the CBSE’s move is important, it’s worth noting that dummy admissions are not limited to CBSE schools. Bihar’s own education system faces similar issues. Despite government efforts to improve classroom attendance by regulating coaching institutes operating during school hours, the results have been mixed, largely because many government schools still lack basic facilities.
S Siddharth, the current Principal Secretary of the Education Department, has emphasized daily monitoring to boost attendance and improve school infrastructure. However, experts like former MP Sharrughan Prasad believe long-term success will require not just monitoring, but substantial investments in school laboratories, classrooms, and facilities, along with rebuilding trust in headmasters and teachers.
The problem of dummy admissions was starkly revealed in 2018 when top NEET and Intermediate exam performers admitted to using non-attending enrolments to focus solely on coaching. Since then, Bihar has made some progress, including the crucial move to shift all intermediate courses (Arts, Science, Commerce) from colleges to higher secondary schools beginning in April 2024—a policy based on the 1986 National Education Policy’s 10+2+3 system.
Meanwhile, structured efforts like BSEB’s special coaching initiatives at Bankipore Girls’ High School and Patna Collegiate aim to balance board studies and competitive exam preparation. Students in these programs must maintain proper attendance and participate in laboratory sessions, offering a more legitimate path forward.
Yet, many students still prefer enrolling in places with loose attendance policies, even after Plus Two, which partly explains why institutions like Patna University struggle to fill seats year after year.
A former coaching teacher summed up the situation, admitting that coaching institutes often tie up with schools to ensure flawless paperwork—attendance records, sent-up exams, everything done on paper even if the student barely steps inside the classroom.
With CBSE’s strong action against dummy admissions, it’s clear that the era of shortcuts may be coming to an end. Students and parents must now prioritize genuine learning over just passing exams, a shift that could finally bring lasting change to Bihar’s academic environment.
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