The Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) has issued show-cause notices to three Ahmedabad schools after surprise inspections revealed unusually low student attendance, intensifying its crackdown on the growing practice of dummy schooling.
The notices have been served to SS Divine School in Science City-Gota, Divine School in Naroda and Gayatri Vidyalaya in Naroda.
During the inspections, board officials found that only about 30 per cent of enrolled students were present in classrooms, despite the schools reporting significantly higher admission numbers. The discrepancy raised concerns about whether students were regularly attending classes.
Based on the findings, the GSHSEB has asked the schools to explain why their affiliations should not be cancelled. The schools have been directed to submit their responses, after which the matter will be placed before the board’s executive committee for further action.
GSHSEB Secretary Rakesh Vyas said the inspections mainly focused on Classes 11 and 12, where attendance was found to be far lower than expected considering the number of students enrolled.
The move comes amid increasing concerns over dummy schooling, a practice that has become common among students preparing for competitive examinations such as NEET and JEE. Under this system, students remain officially enrolled in schools but spend most of their time attending coaching institutes, visiting school only for practicals, examinations or mandatory academic activities.
Education authorities have been taking steps to curb the trend and ensure that students regularly attend classes as required under board regulations.