CBSE launches surprise inspections to curb dummy admissions

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) conducted surprise inspections at 15 schools on Aug 1 in Delhi, Chandigarh, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal as a crackdown on dummy admissions.

Each inspection team was made up of a CBSE official and a principal from a different CBSE-affiliated school, with all school visits organized to happen at the same time to ensure “schools had no prior notice.”

The goal was to determine “whether schools were following board rules and not registering non-attending or dummy students.”

Teams also reviewed academic activities and inspected the infrastructure.

Dummy admissions are becoming more common, especially among students preparing for competitive entrance tests like NEET and JEE.

These students often opt out of regular classes to focus on coaching, enrolling in schools only for the purpose of appearing in board exams.

Some also seek dummy enrollment in other states to benefit from “state-specific quotas in college admissions.”

For example, “students completing Class 12 from Delhi become eligible for the Delhi quota in engineering and medical colleges.”

The CBSE said it will examine the inspection reports and take action as needed against rule-breaking schools.

“We are committed to maintaining academic standards and will keep enforcing strict measures,” an official added.