Competitive exams like JEE, and NEET require the utmost level of dedication and hard work, and sometimes the student may feel overloaded. They might face difficulties in maintaining a balance between their school studies, and JEE, and NEET preparation. A lot of times students feel pressured and think that their school studies are distracting them from their goal of cracking competitive exams.
Sometimes the school faculties bother children with their attendance, as they want students to attend all the classes. So, when students are enrolled in schools and coaching centers at the same time, their schedule gets very hectic. They have to attend both school and coaching classes. Some time is spent commuting and taking breaks as well, then students also need time for self-study and revision. This schedule destroys the mental peace of students, and some might be able to juggle between school and coaching centers but some just opt for an easier way, while leaving their regular schools and enrolling in dummy schools. So that they can focus solely on their preparation for JEE/NEET.
What Is A Dummy School? How Is It Different From A Regular School?
Dummy schools, also known as Non-Attending Schools is a school where students are admitted to the same way as regular schools but they don’t have to attend regular school classes so that they can focus more on their JEE Main, JEE Advanced, NEET exam preparation. Students in dummy schools usually have two classes in a day that last for one or two hours each day, focusing on board exams and school syllabus. The rest of the time students utilize to study in their coaching centers. The students typically spend 8-9 hours in coaching centers.
On the contrary, a student from a regular school spends 7 hours in a school attending all classes and participating in extracurricular activities. Apart from this, regular schools also require students to have a minimum of 75% attendance, if students fail to complete the attendance they are then not allowed to sit in the year-end examinations. Dummy schools usually have a tie-up with regular schools or coaching centers and students attend their school once a year to appear in their final examinations.
According to many sources, CBSE disapproves of dummy schools and in India, there are many dummy schools especially in Kota, Rajasthan (considered to be the biggest hub for dummy schools), Patna, Visakhapatnam, Chandigarh, and Kanpur.
Should You Join A Dummy School?
You should not make any decision in a hassle and need to evaluate both the advantages and disadvantages of dummy schools before enrolling in one. While there may be few positive aspects of a dummy school but there are a lot of things that make regular schools a better option. Let’s have a look at both so that you can have a better idea and make a mindful decision.
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Advantages of Joining a Dummy School
Listed below are some of the advantages of joining a Dummy School and how it can be helpful with your preparation:
1. Helps in Distraction Free Preparation
If you are self-motivated and extremely focused, then a dummy school for an engineering or medical college can turn out to be a blessing. As in regular schools, the curriculum is completely different and may not align with your goal of cracking JEE/NEET. Dummy schools provide an environment where the students can focus majorly on their entrance exam preparation. Whereas at regular schools the focus is the CBSE syllabus and participating in other extracurricular activities is also mandatory.
2. You Can Study at Your Own Pace
When students join JEE/NEET coaching along with a regular school, their schedule is very tight. 7-8 hours they spend in school, rest they spend in coaching, and some time is also spent in commuting. So, they have very little time for indulging in self-study or things they enjoy. But in a dummy school, there is plenty of time, no strict schedule, no need to cover the CBSE syllabus, and no need to juggle between school and coaching classes. So, the students can enjoy things they love doing. They also get enough time to self-study and revise whenever they want.
3. Saves Students Time, Effort & Energy
In big metropolitan cities, the distance between schools, coaching centers, and homes is too much. A lot of time is consumed in traveling from home to school and then tuition. By the time students step into their homes, they’re exhausted. This can induce stress and anxiety in children, and they may fail both their school exams and entrance exams.
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Disadvantages of Joining A Dummy School
1. Dummy School Students Lack Social Skills
When a student gets completely consumed in studies with no social interaction and extracurricular activities, it also impacts their social skills. While hiring, companies not only look at grades but also look at the overall personality of the candidate. This includes social skills, communication skills if the person can work in groups, etc. So, a dummy school will limit the student’s learning skills, hence they won’t be able to adjust to dynamic environments as there is a lack of exposure to such social settings. Whereas at regular schools students indulge in various activities like dance, music, debates, working on group projects, and playing games. So, their social skills are far more developed and they can easily adapt to various social situations. Hence, this is why students from normal schools will always have an edge over students from dummy schools.
2. Lower Levels of Productivity
One of the most important things you need to know is that increased study hours do not equal productivity. Studying for a longer period lowers your productivity levels. This is because you keep studying for longer durations every day and this interrupts your power of concentration. You can’t concentrate on anything for 7 hours, hence this is why studying 2 hours with focus is better than studying for 7 hours with an absent mind.
3. No Friends or Peers
Teenage is the time you start making friends in your life. You build such relationships in the school itself, where you meet your classmates and students from different classes and make a connection. A dummy school does not give these privileges to students. At normal schools, students participate in discussions, go on trips, picnics, etc which helps in rejuvenating their minds. Children need to go out and indulge in such activities as it keeps their minds fresh, healthy, and full of enthusiasm. In dummy schools, students only study and they don’t meet their classmates, hence they usually don’t have many friends. This can lead to loneliness, depression, and anxiety as they cannot have anyone to share their thoughts or moments with.
4. Lack of Confidence
Students in dummy schools are confined to studying either at their coaching centers or at home. Some students stay focused in dummy schools and can perform better in written exams but when it comes to interviews and group discussions, they fail to meet the expectations. This is because they have not interacted with a lot of people during their school time, which can significantly affect their confidence level in public speaking.
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Conclusion
Lastly, if you look at JEE/NEET results, you will hardly notice any students in the top ranks who studied at a dummy school. All the students that crack JEE/NEET entrance exams are from reputed schools and they also excel in extracurricular activities. To know more about whether to opt for a dummy school or not, you can talk to expert consultants at Aakash Educational Services and they will help you in making a wise decision.