The dummy admission pattern has become a serious education failure that you can see across many government schools. Thousands of students stay enrolled on paper but never sit in class. They come only during exams. The rest of the year they attend coaching centers. Schools look full in records but classrooms stay empty. This creates a false picture of progress. Official data shows success but real learning stays weak. Many parents choose this route because they believe coaching brings higher marks. They think school wastes time. They focus only on exam results. This belief spreads quickly from one family to another. Children copy what parents decide. They stop taking school seriously. They treat it as a formality. Coaching becomes their real classroom. This trend damages discipline and weakens knowledge depth. A student who skips daily lessons loses concept clarity. Coaching often trains for tests only. It rarely builds understanding step by step. This leads to shallow learning. Students may pass exams but struggle in higher studies. Government teachers receive salaries that often reach lakhs per month when allowances and benefits combine over time. Public money funds these salaries. Taxpayers expect strong teaching and full classrooms. When students stay absent, teaching effort loses impact. A teacher cannot teach empty benches. This wastes national resources. Responsibility does not fall on one side only. Parents share blame because they allow absence.
Students share blame because they choose coaching over school. Schools share blame because they keep names active without attendance. Authorities share blame when monitoring stays weak. Coaching institutes also share blame because they schedule classes during school hours and promote full time coaching culture. Society shares blame because it praises marks more than knowledge. This problem survives because each group shifts responsibility to another. Weak monitoring systems allow the practice to continue. Attendance registers can be filled without verification. Inspections often get announced before visits. Schools prepare records. Real absence stays hidden. Without strict checks, rules lose power. A biometric attendance system can change this. Fingerprint or face based entry can record real presence. Data can go directly to central servers. Officials can track attendance daily. Parents can receive absence alerts. Such systems already work in many sectors. Applying them in schools can reduce fake attendance. Digital tracking can also protect honest teachers because records become transparent. Technology can expose irregular patterns quickly.
Strong policy action from Government of Jammu and Kashmir can correct the system. Authorities can link exam eligibility with minimum attendance. They can order surprise inspections. They can audit enrollment lists. They can remove inactive names. They can reward schools that maintain real attendance. They can penalize false reporting. Strict enforcement sends a clear signal that rules matter. When enforcement stays soft, misuse grows. You should also see the psychological effect on students who stay away from school. They miss social interaction. They lose confidence in speaking and teamwork. School life teaches patience and cooperation. Coaching rooms focus only on problem solving for tests. They do not develop personality. A child needs both academic and social growth. Regular school attendance supports mental balance. Continuous coaching pressure can create stress and anxiety. Students often feel trapped in long study hours without recreation. Schools provide sports, arts, and activities that refresh the mind. Missing these experiences affects emotional health.
The dummy admission culture also harms equality. Government schools aim to support every child, especially those with fewer resources. When seats get occupied by names only, genuine learners lose attention. Funds get allocated according to enrollment numbers. If numbers stay inflated, planning fails. Resources do not reach the right students. This reduces system efficiency. Accurate data is essential for policy decisions. False enrollment destroys data reliability.
Teacher motivation also declines when classrooms stay half empty. Teaching becomes mechanical. Interaction decreases. Feedback disappears. A lively class encourages better teaching. An empty class reduces energy. Teachers then feel their effort has little value. Over time this weakens teaching quality. Honest educators suffer because of a flawed system.
“Dummy admissions undermine the educational system’s integrity. Restoring the value of schooling requires a collective commitment from parents, schools, and authorities to prioritize actual attendance and honest reporting. Ultimately, genuine presence is the only way to ensure students receive the education necessary for a secure future.”
Parents must rethink their approach. You should not treat school as optional. Coaching can help but it cannot replace daily classes. A balanced routine works best. School builds foundation. Coaching can support revision. If you remove school from a child’s routine, you remove structure from life. Regular timing teaches discipline. Discipline shapes success. Students must also change attitude. You must attend classes regularly. You must respect your school. Exams test memory but life tests skill. Skills grow through daily practice and interaction. Skipping school for coaching may look smart now but it weakens your future ability. Real learning requires presence, questions, mistakes, and correction.
Community involvement can help control the problem.
Local committees can check attendance records. Villages can discuss school performance. Public display boards can show daily presence numbers. Transparency creates pressure. When everyone can see attendance data, manipulation becomes harder. Community pride can motivate schools to improve.
Training and support for teachers can also help. Interactive teaching methods attract students. Practical demonstrations make lessons interesting. Activity based learning keeps attention. When classrooms become engaging, students prefer school over coaching. Investment in teaching quality directly improves attendance.
Clear coordination between schools and coaching centers can reduce conflict. Authorities can restrict coaching hours during school time. They can enforce evening or weekend schedules. This ensures that coaching supports rather than replaces school. Policy alignment can balance both systems.
Long term impact must concern you. If this culture continues, future generations may hold certificates without competence. Employers need problem solving ability, communication skills, and teamwork. These develop through regular schooling. Weak schooling weakens workforce quality. Economic growth then slows. Education quality directly affects national progress. Ethics also matter. Enrolling without attending misuses public facilities. Government schools exist to educate, not to provide exam entry only. Respecting public institutions is a civic duty. When society accepts shortcuts, standards fall. When society demands honesty, systems improve.
Solutions exist and they are practical. Implement biometric attendance for students and staff. Conduct random inspections. Link attendance with exam forms. Provide counseling sessions for parents. Publish monthly attendance reports. Reward honest schools. Penalize false entries. Encourage community monitoring. Restrict coaching hours during school time. Strengthen digital data tracking. Each step targets a specific weakness. Together they can restore discipline. Real reform begins with mindset. You must value learning more than marks. You must see school as a place of growth. A register entry cannot replace classroom presence. Education needs participation. When students sit in class, ask questions, and interact with teachers, knowledge becomes strong. When they stay absent, learning becomes fragile. The future of education in the region depends on action taken today. Dummy admission may look harmless but it slowly erodes the system. Correcting it requires honesty, monitoring, and cooperation. When parents insist on attendance, when schools report truth, when authorities enforce rules, and when students commit to learning, the system can recover. Real admission must mean real presence. Real presence must lead to real education. Only then can schools fulfill their purpose and students secure their future.
(The author a teacher by profession is a freelancer. The views, opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”)
