Page 18 - EW-December-1-31-2024-merged

Education News

DELHI education institutions have become
Proliferating ‘dummy’ schools tougher with only 2-3 percent of

toppers mostly drilled and skilled in
privately-promoted coaching insti-
tutes, securing admission into IITs
and top-ranked undergrad colleges.
Hence the dummy schools racket.
Dummy schools benefit by way of
showing good results and getting a
commission per student enrolled in
coaching centres.
With the introduction of the
Common University Entrance Test
(CUET) in 2022 which doesn’t give
any weightage to class XII exami-
nation scores for admission in 345
Central government colleges/uni-
versities and other HEIs, the value
of conventional higher secondary
school education is fast disappearing
with “disastrous consequences” for
CBSE headquarters in Delhi: decisive action. Inset: Himanshu Gupta K-12 schools. Many top-ranking stu-
dents privately admit having skipped
earing down heavily on managements “outsource” teaching- higher secondary schooling for cram
‘dummy schools’ for a second learning in classes XI-XII to test coaching centres.
Btime this year, on November prep coaching institutes to better “Dummy schools pose a threat
6 the Central Board of Secondary prepare students for highly competi- to holistic learning which includes
Education (CBSE) — India’s largest tive entrance exams such as IIT-JEE, co-curricular, extra-curricular educa-
national school-leaving examina- NEET, UPSC among others. These tion possible only in conventional
tions board with 30,373 affiliated schools have earned the pejorative of schools. Unfortunately, coaching
schools — withdrew the affiliation of ‘dummy’ schools inasmuch as they institutes have become very popular
21 schools. Simultaneously it barred are fake or fraudulent institutions with parents, who prioritise cram-
six affiliated schools from providing which register students for CBSE/ ming for entrance exams over holis-
children standard XII classes and CISCE class X and XII board exams tic education. The problem has bal-
exams. The list of 27 schools (pre- without conducting classes. looned to epidemic proportion and
dominantly from Delhi north and “The practice of dummy or non- unless it is curbed, traditional higher
west suburbs) was issued after giving attendance admissions contradicts secondary education will be emper-
these schools the stipulated 30-day the core mission of school education, illed,” warns Dr. Sudha Acharya,
notice under affiliation bye-laws to compromising students’ founda- principal, ITL Public School, Dwarka
argue against disaffiliation. tional growth. We are taking decisive (Delhi) and a former president of the
Under CBSE regulations, to action to combat the proliferation of National Progressive Schools’ Con-
qualify for affiliation, primary- dummy schools and to send a clear ference. A member of CBSE’s inspec-
secondary schools have to comply message to all affiliated institutions tion team to a few of the de-affiliated
with over 25 bye-laws drawn up by to resist the lure of accepting dummy schools, Dr. Acharya confirms that
the board which prescribes a rigor- or non-attending admissions,” said they lacked everything from students
ous syllabus for students. Among CBSE secretary Himanshu Gupta to classrooms and amenities.
the pre-conditions of affiliation are at a press conference while sharing Aware of the danger posed to
that all applicant schools should be the list of disaffiliated and penalised K-12 education by dummy institu-
registered and licensed by the state/ schools. tions, on October 9, CBSE issued a
municipal government and conduct With capacity in higher education circular ordering strict compliance
full-fledged teaching in all classes/ expanding much too slowly to ac- with attendance rules by affiliated
grades. commodate an estimated 10 million schools. “All schools must adhere
However, with the onset of the school-leavers per year, entrance strictly to Rules 13 and 14 of the
coaching classes boom of the new exams for admission into top-ranked CBSE Examination Bye-Laws regard-
millennium, some affiliated school undergrad colleges and higher ing student attendance for students

18 EDUCATIONWORLD DECEMBER 2024