CBSE Cracks Down on Dummy Admissions: Surprise Inspections at 15 Schools Across 7 Regions

CBSE Secretary Himanshu Gupta answered a question by Shiksha.com and rationale behind selection of schools: “The enrolment in Class XI and XII, as per records, was disproportionately high compared to Classes IX and X.” 

In a major move to curb irregularities in school enrolments, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) carried out surprise inspections at 15 schools across five states and two Union Territories on July 31, 2025. These inspections targeted schools suspected of violating CBSE’s affiliation norms, particularly by enrolling "non-attending" or dummy students in Classes 11 and 12.

The schools inspected are located in Delhi, Chandigarh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Andhra Pradesh.

Why These Schools Were Targeted

Responding to a query by Shiksha.com, CBSE Secretary Himanshu Gupta provided insights into the rationale behind the selection of schools: “The enrolment in Class XI and XII, as per records, was disproportionately high compared to Classes IX and X,” he said.

“We used technology-based analytics to flag anomalies, and yes, in many of these schools, dummy students were found.”

This marks one of the first times CBSE has explicitly confirmed the detection of dummy candidates—students enrolled only on paper to appear in board exams without attending school.

Simultaneous Inspections, Surprise Strategy

As per a release issued by CBSE, each of the 15 schools was inspected simultaneously in a coordinated operation involving a CBSE officer and a principal from another affiliated school. The aim was to preserve the element of surprise, ensuring schools could not manipulate data or appearances before inspection.

The objective was to verify if schools were complying with CBSE’s affiliation bye-laws, especially concerning:

Attendance and actual enrolment

Academic and physical infrastructure

Inflated registration of students for board exams

CBSE has indicated that appropriate action will be taken based on the inspection reports.

List of Schools Inspected

The 15 schools include:

Delhi (8 schools): Apex Public School (Burari), CIAT Convent School (Kanjhawala), Devendra Public School (Prem Nagar), Rajindra Public School (Nangloi), among others

Chandigarh: Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School

Jharkhand: Central Academy, Ranchi

Maharashtra: The Jain International School (Nagpur), Rahul International School (Mira Road)

Uttar Pradesh: J S Memorial Public School, Mainpuri

West Bengal: Aaloke Bharti Model School, Kolkata

Andhra Pradesh: Lakshya School, Samalkota

CBSE’s Stand on Dummy Schools and Exam Integrity

This is not the first time CBSE has acted on the issue of dummy admissions, which are often linked to coaching-centre-led education models that bypass regular school instruction. With board exams increasingly integrated into the school-based assessment system and CUET, the pressure to maintain attendance and academic integrity has grown.