Dummy schooling under govt radar
New Delhi: The Delhi government has launched a sweeping crackdown on private schools accused of facilitating ‘dummy admissions’, a practice where students are enrolled but not required to attend regular classes, and is also taking stern action against institutions arbitrarily hiking fees, drawing strong remarks from the Delhi High Court.
Education minister Ashish Sood on Thursday revealed that over 20 schools across the national Capital are under scrutiny for alleged involvement in dummy schooling. “So far, notices have been issued to 11 schools, and the process of de-recognising them is underway,” he said at a press briefing.
Among the schools named are Green Land Public School, Geeta Bal Bharti Sr. Sec. School, Saroj Montessori Public School, Puneet Public School, Arwachin Bharti Bhawan School, Lancer Convent, The Srijan School, Queen Mary’s School, Guru Tegh Bahadur School, Mira Model School, and St. Gregorious School.
According to Sood, these schools have been found bypassing basic attendance norms, thereby enabling students to focus solely on competitive exam preparations elsewhere, a practice that undermines the spirit of formal education. The crackdown also stems
from concerns that such schools are neglecting students from the Economically Weaker Section (EWS).
“We are committed to ensuring that education in Delhi follows due process. Institutions that flout norms will face consequences,” Sood said. The move comes in the backdrop of intensified action against private schools accused of hiking fees without following laid-down procedures. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta recently ordered strict action against such
schools following numerous complaints from parents during her Jan Samvaad.
“It is completely unacceptable for any school to mentally harass parents or students, threaten them with expulsion, or increase fees without following due process,” Gupta said. “There are rules and laws in place, which must be followed. If any school is found violating them, it will face consequences.”
In one of the most serious incidents, Delhi Public School (DPS) in Dwarka came under fire from the Delhi High Court for allegedly mistreating
students during a fee-related dispute. The court was
told that students were confined to a library and denied entry to classes. Justice Sachin Datta pulled up the school sharply, saying it had treated students like “chattel” and was running as a “money-making machine.” He added, “The school deserves to be shut down.”
The court’s observations were based on an inspection report submitted by an eight-member committee led by the district magistrate (South-West), which flagged discriminatory practices and mistreatment of students. Sood said, “We set up a committee of DMs and SDMs who conducted inspections in private schools and submitted
their reports. The court made the observations based on those findings.”
The Delhi government has so far inspected over 600 private schools across the city. District-level committees led by SDMs and including education department officials, accounts officers, and principals of government schools have been constituted to examine complaints related to fee hikes and admissions.
“Those who mock our government by comparing it to ‘Phulera’s Panchayat’ should understand that governance requires strong political will, not just fancy words,” Sood said, taking a swipe at the previous AAP government. “The former administration failed to act for five years. We have acted on 600 schools in a short time.”
The crackdown signals a significant shift in Delhi’s education policy enforcement, with the government and judiciary working in tandem to curb exploitation in private schools and restore accountability in the system.
