Students found enrolled in 'dummy schools' won't be allowed for board exams: CBSE
New Delhi (PTI): CBSE students not found attending regular schools will not be allowed to appear for Class 12 board examinations, officials said and added that the onus of taking admission in "dummy schools" lies with students and parents.
In its ongoing crackdown on "dummy schools", the Central Board of Secondary Education is contemplating amending examination bye-laws to disallow such students from appearing in the board exams and will have to take the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) test.
"In case candidates are found missing from school or are found to be non-attending during surprise inspections undertaken by the board, such candidates may not be allowed to appear for the board examination. The onus of not attending regular school also falls on the concerned student and his or her parents," a senior board official told PTI.
The official said action against schools promoting such a "dummy" culture or sponsoring non-attending students will be taken in accordance to the board's affiliation and examination bye-laws.
The issue was also taken up in the recent Governing Board Meeting of the board where it was recommended that the decision be implemented from academic session 2025-2026.
"In the examination committee the matter was discussed elaborately and came to the conclusion that as per the board regulations, a minimum of 75 per cent attendance is mandatory for students to be eligible to appear for the board examinations."
In case the required attendance is not met, merely enrolling at a non-attending school may not entitle such students to appear for the CBSE examination, he said.
"Such students may approach the NIOS to appear in the examination if not allowed by CBSE. It was also discussed that the board offers a 25 per cent relaxation only in cases of exigencies such as medical emergencies, participation in national or international sports events and other serious reasons," the official added.
The board is considering that those students who do not have required attendance, the board may not consider their candidature and disciplinary action may also be taken against the school for referring such students for the exam.
"It was also decided that CBSE may explore with NIOS on the above proposal and prepare the guidelines which could be issued in the next academic session," the official added.
Scores of students preparing for engineering and medical entrance exams prefer to take admission in dummy schools so that they can focus solely on their preparations for competitive exams. They do not attend classes and straightaway appear in the board exams.
Aspirants also choose dummy schools to take advantage of state-specific quotas for admissions to medical and engineering colleges. For example, candidates who complete their senior secondary education in Delhi become eligible for the Delhi state quota in medical colleges, giving them an additional incentive to enrol in dummy schools in the capital.
The rise of dummy schools is a growing concern, particularly for students preparing for competitive engineering and medical entrance exams. Many students enrol in dummy schools, allowing them to bypass regular attendance while focusing entirely on exam preparation. These students only appear for board examinations.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
