New Delhi — In a decisive step to reform the education landscape, the Union Ministry of Education has set up an eleven-member high-level panel to address the growing influence of coaching centres and the proliferation of dummy schools across the country.
Chaired by Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi, the panel will examine systemic issues fueling the rise of dummy schools—institutions where students are formally enrolled but do not attend regular classes—and suggest measures to reinstate the importance of formal schooling. These dummy schools have become a common choice for students preparing full-time for competitive entrance exams such as the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), often at the expense of a holistic education.
Gold Rate
17 June 2025
The committee includes the Chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), joint secretaries from the departments of school and higher education, representatives from IIT Madras, IIT Trichy, and IIT Kanpur, as well as officials from the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). Additionally, three members will be nominated from among principals of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Navodaya Vidyalaya, and private schools.
This initiative follows the CBSE’s landmark decision in March 2025 to bar students enrolled in dummy schools from appearing in the Class 12 board exams. The move was aimed at restoring the relevance of senior secondary education, which has increasingly taken a backseat to 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.
In addition to academic concerns, the panel will review awareness among students and parents regarding alternative career paths and the availability of career counselling services in schools. It will also scrutinize advertising practices in the coaching industry—particularly misleading success claims and aggressive marketing—and propose safeguards to protect students and families.
This review aligns with the Central Consumer Protection Authority’s (CCPA) 2024 guidelines aimed at curbing deceptive advertisements and unfair terms in the coaching sector.
The findings and recommendations of the committee are expected to play a crucial role in shaping future education policies and curbing the parallel education economy driven by coaching centres and dummy institutions.
