Amid the ongoing NEET controversy, the National Independent Schools Alliance (NISA), a body representing private schools, has raised concerns over private coaching academies and schools, providing dummy admissions for students for competitive examinations.
NISA president Kulbhushan Sharma has accused coaching academies and schools, who have been providing dummy admissions, of weakening the formal education system.
In a letter addressed to Haryana Education Minister Mahipal Dhanda, Sharma stated that for the last two to three decades, a large network of illegal coaching academies and schools providing dummy admissions has grown rapidly across Haryana.
“This system has gradually turned into an ‘education mafia’, financially and mentally exploiting lakhs of parents and students. These illegal academies are weakening the formal education system. Many coaching centres, in collusion with schools, arrange dummy admissions where students remain enrolled only on paper while attending coaching institutes full-time,” Sharma said.
He added that such practices deprived students of a healthy school environment essential for holistic development, moral values, discipline and personality building.
Sharma further alleged that dummy admissions were not limited to private schools and were also being done in government schools.
“This system is causing double exploitation of parents and students. Parents are forced to pay schools for dummy seats as well as huge coaching fees. Students are shown dreams of becoming doctors, engineers and successful candidates in competitive examinations, whereas in reality, the success rate of most academies remains very poor,” he said.
According to Sharma, majority of the students suffer academically, financially and mentally under the pressure, leading to frustration and uncertainty.
He further said, “This shortcut-based system is not only damaging the education structure but is also encouraging organised crime, paper leaks and examination irregularities. The recent controversies related to the NEET examination have once again exposed the seriousness of this issue.”
NISA has requested the Haryana Education Department, the Board of School Education and the CBSE to take strict measures to curb dummy admissions and take action against illegal academies and coaching institutes operating through such nexus.
“A national-level meeting of NISA is being organised in Himachal Pradesh where representatives from various states will discuss various issues including illegal academies. We will also approach the Prime Minister and the Union Education Minister in this regard,” Sharma added.
