Dummy Students, Competitive Exams And Board Exams: Impact On Student's Holistic Development

In India, we can see an obsession among students and parents with competitive examinations which come with pros and cons for students and their learning capacities. This has also given rise to the popularity of dummy schools which is considered a troubling trend by many and needs to be taken care of.

Even CBSE in the past has also taken the initiative to look into the matter had issued notice to over 25 schools to avoid the negative impacts of this practice. It is also argued that the growing trend of dummy schools has impacted the performance of students in board exams. As this is a time of board exams we looked into the concept of Dummy Students, Dummy Schools, and Students performance in board exams.

What do we know about Dummy Students?

Dummy students are Class XI and XII students who, to pass their higher secondary board exams, fake their attendance by spending the full two-year session at coaching centers while still enrolled in classes.

Many students who are getting ready for entrance tests for engineering and medicine would rather get admitted to dummy schools so they may concentrate entirely on getting ready for the competitive exams.

How the trend of Dummy Schools is increasing?

As per the information provided by educationists and parents coaching centers persuade the parents to enrol their children in certain schools with which these coaching institutes have tie-ups, saying the children would not be required to attend classes there but would be allowed to sit their board exams. The schools also make a nice packet without having to invest in infrastructure or additional teachers.

Posters featuring several mock schools and their fees are strewn throughout Kota. Dummy schools charge varying fees based on the boards they are associated with, ranging from Rs 15,000 to Rs 50,000. The school does not have an attendance issue, and students are not required to take any internal examinations.

Also, candidates select dummy schools with consideration for the allotment of seats in engineering and medical schools reserved for citizens of particular states. For instance, the Delhi State Quota allows students who finished their class 11 and 12 schooling in Delhi to be considered for a seat quota in the national capital”s medical institutes.

How Dummy Students Value Board Exams?

Education experts have linked the program to the countrywide adoption of entrance tests across all subjects and streams, which has raised the need for coaching and lowered the significance of board scores. Top students from traditional schools are getting transferred to dummy schools. They concentrate on the Joint Entrance Examination, National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test, and Common University Entrance Test instead of the Class XII board exams.

Educationist adds that the national entrance examinations have reduced the board exams to qualifying exams; students are now just required to pass them to be considered for college admission, which is determined entirely by their performance on the competitive exams.

What role do the coaching centers play in creating a Dummy Culture?

Coaching centers accept dummy students to help them get ready for various competitive tests. It is said that the coaching centers persuade the parents that they would also handle the requirements of upper secondary education.

How is the culture of Dummy Schools impacting students” learning and development?

Schools play a role in the holistic development of the children. A focus on mere coaching does not help.

Experts have cautioned against the idea of “dummy schools” in light of the record high number of suicides among Kota residents preparing for competitive exams this year. They claim that pupils who leave normal schools early frequently have stunted personality development and maturation.

Students do not attend actual schools; instead, they are enrolled in virtual ones. They must simultaneously focus on studying for admission examinations and passing board exams.
Students there frequently struggle with a full schedule, fierce competition, ongoing pressure to perform better, the weight of their parents” expectations, and homesickness.

The Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also said that the issue of dummy schools cannot be ignored.

How this concept is impacting the students negatively?

According to sources in 2022, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) provided data indicating that approximately 2,500 individuals attempt suicide annually as a result of failing exams and that 12,582 persons in India lost their lives to exam- stress between 2014 and 2020.

Competitive exam achievement is given an excessive amount of weight, that stifles personality development and is restricted to being able to correctly answer multiple-choice questions.

There is no substitute for holistic learning. Burnout and fragmented concentration can result from one-dimensional mechanical learning, lengthy hours of cramming, solitude, tension, and a lack of recreational activities. Additionally, dummy schools are not the best places to get ready to confidently participate in group debates or interviews.

The prevalence of coaching facilities and dummy schools indicates that a significant portion of students are not given the chance to consider a wide range of career alternatives. Even worse, these stilted learning environments prevent students from using their imaginations or their creativity and limit them to using just high-scoring shortcuts rather than expanding their minds.

They don”t support a deeper investigation of any issue, a spirit of inquiry, or the exchange of differing opinions. This hinders a student”s ability to think creatively and find multiple solutions to an issue.

Dummy schools typically have a staff that is too small to interact with every student or provide a high-quality education, and they are ill-equipped to offer these experiences to students.

What are the solutions to tackle the growing tendency?

Amid the growing trend of dummy schools, educationists believe that some weightage should be given to the board scores also during admission.

High Court has also said that unchecked growth of “dummy schools” is adversely affecting students who genuinely fulfill the local education criterion and allows ineligible candidates to secure seats under the Delhi State Quota.

The respective boards should also take strict measures to curb the growing tendency of such schools to ensure holistic learning of students.