Unmasking Dummy Schools: Decoding the IIT JEE Conundrum

In the labyrinth pursuit of securing a seat in the coveted IIT (Indian Institute of Technology), the JEE aspirants often have to navigate several challenges. Amidst this journey lies a curious phenomenon, known as “Dummy Schools”, a puzzling concept used by many JEE aspirants to crack the JEE exams.

These schools serve a specific purpose, to bridge the gap for students who find themselves at the crossroads of a gap year or in need of extra time for preparation. They offer a straightforward path to students to fulfil the eligibility criteria and acquire the school leaving certificate and mark sheet, without having to attend the school and just giving the exam.

However, the narrative surrounding dummy school is far from simple, shrouded with the questions of its ethicality, legality and educational debates. The controversy engulfs the wider implications for aspirants and the education system as a whole.

Purpose and Function of Dummy School for IIT JEE:

Dummy schools for IIT JEE aspirants serve as an alternative to regular schools. With regular school students have to attend school and prepare for JEE exams parallelly. It consumes a lot of time, which they could have for the sole preparation for the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE).

Dummy schools are such schools where the JEE aspirants do not have to attend regular school and just appear for the important tests and final exams, so they can use the schooling hours to attend coaching classes and prepare for the JEE examination.

This helps students to fulfil the criteria regarding marks of both their 12th standard and the JEE Mains exam.

Eligibility and Admission Requirements:

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has set some eligibility criteria for JEE exams, which students need to fulfil to get admission into the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), which is what a JEE aspirant is aiming for.

To get into an IIT, students need to score 75% marks in physics, chemistry, and,  mathematics, in their 12th board exams and score 90 percentile in their JEE Mains to secure a seat in an IIT.

Attending a dummy school can help a JEE aspirant prepare for and score 90 percentile in JEE mains, which can be a difficult task to do with regular schooling. At the same time, students can score 75% in the three core subjects combined in their 12th board.

Students also need to submit their School Leaving Certificate (SCL), to the college they are taking admission in, to prove that they have completed their school education, which is provided by these dummy schools.

Controversies and Ethical Conversation:

Every year around 12 lakh students appear in the JEE mains for the 10,000 seats of IIT. The competition is cut-throat and the psychological impact of such competition can be deep. To ease the burden of preparation students are admitted to a dummy school.

This sounds like something helpful, and it does work for some JEE aspirants, but it also has controversies surrounding its impact on students, the psychological impact it has on students and the ethical value it holds or doesn’t hold.

Students not just from classes 11th and 12th, but from, albeit very few, 9th and 10th classes are enrolling in dummy schools to prepare for the JEE exams. Schooling is not just a way for students to get an education, but it is also a way to develop their personality and mental growth.

The legality of these schools has yet to come into question, but different government organisations and state governments are having conversations about such schools, considering their impact on students. Most recent was when the Cheif Minister of Rajasthan in an interview with the Economic Times said,

 “Students of classes 9 and 10 are enrolled in coaching institutes. You are committing a crime in a way. As if IIT is god. As soon as students come to coaching institutes, they are enrolled in fake schools.”

He went as far as to call these schools “fake schools”. This interview came in light of rising suicide cases in Kota, Rajasthan, the coaching hub for JEE and NEET preparations.

Link to the full article:  Aim JEE, NEET: Many prefer ‘dummy school’ route to focus on entrance exams; experts see red

When it comes to the ethical aspect of such schools, it lies on the students and the parents of those students. Ethics and ethical responsibility are individual obligations. And having an advantage over others by manipulation and deception can’t be ethical. Especially considering that there are vast numbers of students who do not opt for such dummy schools and yet end up scoring the right score in their boards and JEE main exams and reserve a seat in the prestigious IIT.

Impact on Education and Students:

The impact of dummy schools on JEE aspirants can be quite remarkable, but the brunt of the blowback on them can be extremely catastrophic.

We have learned by now how difficult it can be for students to prepare for the JEE with schooling, how cut-throat the competition is, and how the burden can numb the students completely.

Dummy schools for IIT can give students ample time to prepare for JEE mains, revise, relax and cover every nook and corner of the JEE syllabus. With so much time in hand with dummy schools, the students don’t hurry with their preparation and can have long enough study plans to cover all the topics in time and in an easy way.

With the advantage of dummy school with preparation time for JEE mains, we also need to discuss and consider the many negative aspects of it.

Many mental health professionals have warned that not attending a regular school can impact the mental and personality growth of those students. Attending coaching institutes for JEE preparation with dummy schools can often lead to seclusion, which can make students feel lonely and that can be a strong contributor to anxiety and depression, many end up developing suicidal tendencies and some end up committing suicide.

The holistic approach to education that students receive with regular schooling, with classes, sports, arts, music, cultural and other fests organised by schools helps them feel part of something, a sense of belonging and most importantly, an all-over development in terms of academics, co-curricular activities and mental and personal development that comes with socialising with fellow classmates, seniors and teachers.

With dummy schools, students often lose their motivation for their exams and goals, lose connections with their friends from school and struggle to make new ones at coaching institutes as they don’t give much time for interaction among students, which can be a great motivator for such competitive exams.

Alternative and Recommendations:

Many students opt for dummy schools and have had success with that, but it has not always been a great option for many of the students. It has also been noticed that quite a few students choosing dummy schools for JEE preparations, end up scoring the right score for getting admission to IIT, but fail to score 75% marks on their boards.

Instead of opting for dummy schools, there are some other alternatives that you can go for, which are 100% legal, and ethical and don’t impact your mental health in the long run. There are two that are worth discussing and an alternative many students select.

The first alternative is to take a drop year, these students are called as JEE dropper, and a lot of people, especially “society” has a very negative connotation towards JEE droppers. But taking a drop year or an extra year for preparation so can achieve your goal of getting a seat in IIT and completing your school education formally isn’t a bad thing to do, an extra year of preparation can help you prepare all the topics properly and in-depth.

Since every student takes a drop year, takes it after thoughtful consideration and with a concrete plan for the preparation, helps them achieve their goals realistically and not harm their mental health, as time for self, relaxation and socialising are included in their plans.

The second alternative is to opt for an online IIT JEE coaching institute. The biggest advantage of online IIT JEE coaching is that you can attend the classes from the comfort of your home, so you don’t have to move outside of your city or state to get the best education for your preparation.

Since the classes provided by these institutes are online, you can even get a recorded version of the class in case you miss a class regardless of that, you attend the classes at your own ease and on your own time, so you have time to attend your school and attend the classes for your preparation. Such online IIT JEE coaching institutes also provide crash courses for your preparation in the shortest possible time, allowing you to attend regular school with a calm mind and start preparing later on and in time.

Online IIT JEE coaching has gained a lot of traction over the years, especially after COVID-19 and its after-effects, combined with the high success rates of these coaching institutes, they can be a great alternative.

Conclusion:

Dummy schools can give you an advantage in your preparation, you can devote all your time to preparing for the IIT JEE exams. But it has a lot of downsides and not everyone can trek through those disadvantages and come out victorious.

Before considering a dummy school for IIT JEE preparation, consider the positives and all the negatives that you will face if you opt for it. Also, consider the alternatives available if you are thinking about getting admission to a dummy school.

Have a plan in hand in advance so you can the best decision for yourself, prepare to the best of your capabilities, and give your 100% without any distress.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

1. Is dummy school good for JEE?

Dummy schools for IIT JEE can have both advantages and disadvantages. The dummy schools give JEE aspirants time to prepare for their JEE exams, at the same time it can impact students negatively both academically and mentally.

2. Can I join Dummy School in the 12th class?

You cannot change your schooling from regular to dummy school for JEE after class 11th.

3. Dummy school vs regular school for JEE?

At regular school, you attend formal classes at school and prepare for your JEE exams parallelly. And with dummy school, you don’t have to attend regular school and can devote the whole time to preparation for IIT JEE exams.