CIC asks CBSE to run surprise school checks to catch dummy admissions
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The Central Information Commission has recommended surprise CBSE inspections to catch dummy admissions, after an RTI case from Bhopal; reported October 16, 2026.
What Happened
The Central Information Commission (CIC) has recommended that the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) carry out surprise inspections of its affiliated schools to catch "dummy" admissions, where students are enrolled on paper but do not attend classes. The recommendation, reported on Friday, October 16, 2026, was made by Information Commissioner Sudha Rani Relangi while deciding a Right to Information (RTI) case from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The applicant had asked CBSE about its attendance rules for private missionary schools in Bhopal, as well as its rules on subject choice and prescribed textbooks, and had complained that students were receiving certificates without attending school. Using its power under Section 25(5) of the RTI Act, the Commission said surprise inspections would be a fitting way to keep a check on affiliated schools.
Key Facts
- The recommendation came from Information Commissioner Sudha Rani Relangi of the Central Information Commission.
- It arose from an RTI application about attendance rules in private missionary schools in Bhopal.
- The complaint alleged that students were being given certificates even though they were not attending classes.
- In its reply, CBSE pointed to its Affiliation Bye-Laws, 2018, which bar schools from sending students for board exams if they have not attended regularly or fall short of the minimum attendance.
- CBSE's general rule requires 75 per cent attendance to sit the board exams, with relaxation only for reasons such as medical emergencies or national and international sports events, according to reports.
- The Commission also said refusing information on a technicality, such as an error in the postal order sent with an application, is not in the spirit of the RTI Act.
- Section 25(5) lets the Commission recommend steps a public authority should take; it is a recommendation, not a penalty on any school.
Why It Matters
"Dummy schools" have become one of the most talked-about problems in Indian school education. In the usual arrangement, a student in Classes 11 and 12 is enrolled in a school only to meet the board's paperwork, while actually spending the day at a coaching centre preparing for entrance exams such as JEE or NEET. The school marks the student present, or simply looks away, and the student appears for the board exam at the end of the year. Families often see it as a way to save time for coaching. Critics say it hollows out schooling, robs students of laboratory work, sport and friendships, and adds to the pressure that has been linked to stress among coaching students in cities such as Kota.
CBSE has acted against the practice before. It has carried out surprise inspections in the past, including checks at 27 schools in Delhi and Rajasthan in 2024 and a drive across 15 schools in several states in 2025 that found dummy students in many of them. It has also withdrawn the affiliation of a number of schools for enrolling dummy and ineligible candidates, and has warned that students found enrolled in such schools may not be allowed to sit the board exams.
What is new here is that the push has come from the transparency watchdog rather than the board itself. A single RTI application from a parent or citizen in Bhopal has produced an official recommendation that CBSE inspect schools without warning. The order also sends a message to public authorities that RTI requests should not be turned away on small technical grounds.
The recommendation does not mean that every CBSE school is under investigation, or that any inspections have yet taken place. CBSE's response to the order was not reported.
| What CBSE rules say | Detail |
|---|---|
| Attendance needed for boards | 75 per cent, according to reports |
| Allowed relaxation | Medical emergencies, national or international sports, other serious reasons |
| Rule book cited | CBSE Affiliation Bye-Laws, 2018 |
| Commission's power used | Section 25(5) of the RTI Act |
Impact
Short-term: Schools that enrol students who do not attend may face closer scrutiny if CBSE acts on the recommendation. With the 2027 board exam season approaching, schools will be checking attendance registers for Classes 10 and 12, and students who have been relying on dummy enrolment may face questions about whether they meet the attendance rule.
Long-term: Regular surprise checks could make dummy enrolment harder to sustain and push families to choose between full-time school and full-time coaching. It may also add pressure on states and the Centre to look at why coaching has grown so large in the first place, and whether school teaching can be made good enough that students do not feel they must skip it.
Who is affected: Students in Classes 11 and 12 preparing for entrance exams, and their parents; CBSE-affiliated private schools, especially in coaching hubs; coaching institutes; and CBSE's regional offices, which would carry out any inspections.
Key Takeaway
A transparency ruling from Bhopal has handed CBSE a fresh push to inspect schools without warning and catch students who are enrolled on paper but never attend.
Questions and Answers
What did the CIC recommend about CBSE dummy admissions?
The Central Information Commission, through Information Commissioner Sudha Rani Relangi, recommended that CBSE carry out surprise inspections of its affiliated schools to identify students who are enrolled but do not attend classes. The order was reported on October 16, 2026.
What is a dummy school?
It is a school where a student is enrolled only on paper, usually in Classes 11 and 12, while actually studying full-time at a coaching centre for entrance exams. The student still sits the board exam through that school.
How much attendance does a student need for CBSE board exams?
Reports say CBSE requires at least 75 per cent attendance, with relaxation only in special cases such as medical emergencies or participation in national or international sports events.
Will students in dummy schools be stopped from writing the boards?
CBSE has said in the past that students found enrolled in dummy schools may not be allowed to sit the board exams, and its Affiliation Bye-Laws bar schools from sending students who fall short of the attendance rule.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
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