THE Central Information Commission has recommended surprise inspections of schools affiliated with the CBSE to check alleged dummy admissions and ensure compliance with mandatory attendance requirements. In a recent order, Information Commissioner Sudha Rani Relangi recommended that the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) conduct surprise inspections of its affiliated schools to prevent violations of affiliation conditions, following a complaint alleging that students were being issued dummy certificates despite not attending classes. The Central Information Commission (CIC), invoking Section 25(5) of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, said it deemed it fit to recommend surprise inspections to ensure checks and balances on affiliated schools. “The Commission, considering the gravity of the issue flagged by the complainant seeking information regarding issuance of dummy certificates by schools to students not attending classes, deems it fit to recommend the CBSE under Section 25 (5) of the RTI Act, 2005 to exercise the power of conducting a surprise inspection,” the order said.

 

The complaint was filed by an RTI applicant seeking information on attendance requirements in private missionary schools in Bhopal, including the board’s rules on subject selection and prescribed textbooks. The complainant told the CIC that he had filed the application to expose dummy admissions, in which students allegedly obtain examination results without attending classes. The CBSE’s central public information officer (CPIO) had initially returned the application, citing an error in the Indian Postal Order submitted as the application fee. The applicant was asked to submit a valid payment instrument payable to the CBSE secretary in Bhopal. During the hearing, the commission observed that rejecting an application on technical grounds was not in keeping with the spirit of the RTI Act. “Denial of information on technicality is not in the spirit of the RTI Act, 2005,” it noted, adding that the CPIO was expected to facilitate a pointwise reply. The CPIO apologised and agreed to provide the information. The CBSE subsequently submitted a point-wise response, which was taken on record.