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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New Delhi (PTI): Retaliating against the Pahalgam terror attack two weeks ago, Indian armed forces on early Wednesday carried out missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, including in Bahawalpur, a stronghold of the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed.

The military strikes were carried out under Operation Sindoor, the defence ministry said in a statement at 1.44 am. It said the actions by the Indian armed forces were "focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature".

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif termed the Indian missile strikes an "act of war" and said his country has every right to give a "befitting reply".

The Indian statement said, "A little while ago, the Indian Armed forces launched 'Operation Sindoor' hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed."

"No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution," it said.

Sources added that the strikes on all nine targets were successful and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was monitoring Operation Sindoor closely.

Among the nine sites targeted are the JeM headquarters in Bahawalpur and the Lashkar-e-Taiba's in Muridke, both in Pakistan Punjab, officials said.

India's actions come two weeks after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that triggered widespread outrage in India and abroad.

"These steps come in the wake of the barbaric Pahalgam terrorist attack in which 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen were murdered," the defence ministry statement said.

"We are living up to the commitment that those responsible for this attack will be held accountable," it said.

In a post on 'X' in Hindi shortly after the strikes, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, "Long live Mother India!" (Bharat Mata Ki Jai)".

"Justice is Served," the Indian Army said in its post.

Pakistan Army spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said missile strikes were fired by India at Kotli and Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Bahawalpur.

Some time ago, India launched air strikes in in Bahwalpur's Ahmed East area, Kotli and Muzaffarabad at three places from the air, he told ARY News channel.

"All of our air force jets are airborne. This cowardly and shameful attack was carried out from within India's airspace. They were never allowed to come and intrude into the space of Pakistan," he said.

"Let me say it unequivocally: Pakistan will respond to this at a time and place of its own choosing. This heinous provocation will not go unanswered," he added.

Sources in the Indian military establishment said all air defence units have been put on alert along the frontier with Pakistan.

Following the operation, India reached out to several leading countries, including the US, Russia, the UK, UAE and Saudi Arabia and briefed them about the military strike on the nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir, the sources said.

"Senior Indian officials have spoken to their counterparts in a number of countries to brief them on the steps taken by India," said a source.

The operation came days after Modi gave the armed forces full freedom to respond to the Pahalgam terror attack.

In a high-level meeting with the top defence brass, the prime minister on April 29 gave the armed forces "complete operational freedom" to decide on the mode, targets and timing of the response to the Pahalgam terror attack.

Modi also emphasised the national resolve to deal a "crushing blow to terrorism".