The case of the missing students in Delhi

Until two years ago, Ravi’s days in Jharkhand were filled with playing with friends, singing and piano practice with his bandmates for competitions, and working on school projects. “Some of our top students are offered scholarships from coaching institutions and they are made to believe that they will be in a more competitive environment.” She explains that schools accepting ‘dummy students’ charge a lower fee, which is beneficial for students who may not be able to afford both school fees and coaching centre fees. His mother, who also knew little about the system, says, “His teacher told him about the ‘dummy school’, and we decided that it would be good for him.” She adds that his coaching institute fees are ₹1 lakh per year, and the ‘dummy school’ costs around ₹60,000; both fees are collected separately. He recalls, “There were a few people, brokers, who told us about ‘dummy school’ options.” Numerous organisations that serve as a link between the schools and the coaching institutes advertise online as “career development services”, openly stating that they will provide admissions to dummy, or non-attending schools. “In school, with activities such as craft, dance, theatre, and visual arts, a student’s sensory needs are also taken care of.” A Delhi-based parent who sent his son to a coaching institute affiliated to a ‘dummy school’ for a term in Class 12, says, on condition of anonymity, that just a few months of studying in such an environment wreaked havoc in his son’s life.