In a significant move to reform the education system, the Union Ministry of Education has formed an 11-member high-level panel to tackle the rising influence of coaching centres and the spread of dummy schools nationwide.
Chaired by Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi, the panel will investigate the root causes behind the growing prevalence of dummy schools—institutions where students are officially enrolled but skip regular classes—and recommend steps to restore the value of formal schooling. These dummy schools have become increasingly popular among students focusing full-time on competitive exams like the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), often compromising their overall educational development.
The committee comprises key stakeholders, including the Chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), joint secretaries from the Departments of School and Higher Education, and representatives from IIT Madras, IIT Trichy, and IIT Kanpur. Officials from the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) are also part of the panel. Additionally, three members will be nominated from among the principals of Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas, and private schools.
This initiative comes in the wake of CBSE’s landmark decision in March 2025 to prohibit students enrolled in dummy schools from appearing for the Class 12 board exams—a move intended to reaffirm the importance of senior secondary education, which has increasingly been overshadowed by intensive coaching programs.
The panel has been tasked with:
* Investigating the reasons behind the emergence and expansion of dummy schools.
* Evaluating the impact of full-time coaching on formal education.
Identifying gaps between school curricula and coaching syllabi.
* Recommending strategies to promote critical thinking and reduce rote learning in classrooms.
The committee will also assess the fairness and effectiveness of competitive exams in the context of school education and examine how these exams have driven the growth of the coaching industry.
Beyond academic concerns, the panel will also assess the level of awareness among students and parents about alternative career options and the availability of career counselling services in schools. It will examine advertising practices in the coaching industry—especially exaggerated success claims and aggressive marketing—and suggest safeguards to protect students and their families.
This review is in line with the Central Consumer Protection Authority’s (CCPA) 2024 guidelines, which aim to regulate misleading advertisements and unfair practices in the coaching sector.
The committee’s findings and recommendations are expected to significantly influence future education policies and help curb the growing parallel education economy driven by coaching centres and dummy schools.
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