PHDCCI Kashmir welcomes Govt move to enforce school attendance, curb ‘dummy school’ practice

Ziraat Times News Desk

Srinagar: The Kashmir chapter of the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) has hailed the Jammu and Kashmir administration’s decision to make regular physical attendance mandatory for students from Classes 9 to 12 in government schools.

The directive, issued through a recent circular, addresses a concern long raised by PHDCCI’s Education Committee about the growing trend of “dummy schools.” Under this practice, students enrolled in government schools from Class 9 onwards often skipped regular classes and instead attended private coaching centres full-time, using their schools merely as eligibility centres for appearing in board examinations.

Welcoming the move, A P Vicky Shaw, Chairperson of PHDCCI Kashmir, said the administration’s decision was crucial for safeguarding the integrity of the formal education system. “This is a welcome and necessary step. The ‘dummy school’ trend was undermining holistic student development and reducing government schools to examination portals,” he said.

The Chamber noted that the practice threatened the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which emphasizes critical thinking, experiential learning, and the development of social and emotional skills through classroom engagement and extracurricular activities.

Shahid Khan, Convenor of the PHDCCI Education Committee, highlighted that schooling is meant to provide much more than exam preparation. “A student’s journey involves sports, arts, peer interaction, and guidance from teachers. The ‘dummy school’ culture bypassed all these essential aspects, causing long-term harm to student growth,” he observed.

With the new government order mandating attendance, PHDCCI said schools will now be able to reclaim their role as centres of holistic learning and development in line with national policy goals.

The Chamber reaffirmed its commitment to collaborate with the administration and other stakeholders to strengthen Jammu and Kashmir’s education sector and ensure quality learning outcomes for the region’s youth.