CBSE says ‘regular schooling’ best, slams misleading report promoting dummy schools, coaching culture

NEW DELHI: Addressing a “misleading news report” that attributed a JEE Main 2025 topper’s achievement to a dummy school, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) urged the students and parents to prioritise regular schooling that aligns with national education standards.

The CBSE circular comes after the Delhi High Court ordered the state governments and the CBSE to take action against the dummy schools that allowed students to write exams without attending regular classes.

Recently, a national newspaper published a success story of a student who scored 100 percentile in the JEE Mains examination 2025. The report states that the student was enrolled into a dummy school and despite of not attending regular classes, he topped in the entrance exam. The CBSE, in a press release, said: "While the accomplishment of the student is commendable, it is imperative to address certain misleading implications in the report. It has been found out that the institution with which the student was enrolled namely SGN Public School, H-243, Kunwar Singh Nagar, Nangloi, Delhi-110041, was disaffiliated by the Board last year.”

The board has formed a two-member committee to conduct surprise inspections to ensure all CBSE norms are followed by the affiliated schools. Action has been taken against 300 “dummy” schools, the CBSE Board told the high court.

Expressing concern over the portrayal of non-attending schools as a “superior alternative,” the CBSE said that these dummy schools are not in line with the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

JEE Main topper attended non-regular school

Stating that it has disaffiliated the dummy school, mentioned in the news report, last year, the board underscored "the need for students to pursue their education through recognized institutions".

By attending a regular school, a student develops critical thinking, conceptual understanding, and real-world problem solving elements that are missed by dummy schools .

“Regular schools provide a structured learning environment that nurtures not just academic excellence but also essential life skills, social interaction, and emotional well-being. While coaching institutes may supplement learning, they cannot replace the comprehensive educational experience offered by a full-fledged school system,” the board said.

The board also urged parents, students, and educators to choose schools for children that are aligned with the national education standard. “Success in competitive exams should not come at the cost of quality education and overall development,” it added.