The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) recently disaffiliated 21 schools across Delhi and Rajasthan, with 16 of these schools located in Delhi. Additionally, six schools in Delhi have been downgraded from Senior Secondary to Secondary level. These actions aim to enforce CBSE’s standards on student attendance and integrity.

CBSE conducted surprise inspections on September 3 to evaluate whether schools were complying with its Affiliation and Examination Bye-Laws, especially those related to student attendance. During these inspections, many schools were found with large numbers of “dummy” students in Classes 9 to 12, indicating poor attendance and inadequate oversight, which threatens the quality of education.

In a notification released on November 6, CBSE stated that disaffiliations and downgrades were necessary to address these widespread attendance issues and ensure educational standards are met. Each affected school has been issued a Show Cause Notice and has 30 days to respond. The final decision on their status will be based on their responses, and CBSE has urged strict adherence to attendance norms to maintain educational integrity. Detailed information is available on the CBSE website.