Assam's school education regulator has identified 4,934 students who were admitted to Class XI on the strength of Class X pass certificates carrying the name of the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), certificates the board describes as fake or forged. The findings were reported on 12 November by The Sentinel, Pratidin Time and The Assam Tribune.

According to those reports, the Assam State School Education Board (ASSEB), Division-II, counted 2,083 such admissions in the 2025-26 session and 2,851 in 2026-27. The board's communication, dated 5 September, listed 94 schools allegedly linked to the certificates. CISCE's own list shows only 28 affiliated schools across Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

What the board and the government have done

The board has blocked the registration of students admitted to Class XI in the 2026-27 session on the basis of these certificates. It has asked the state's school education department to direct district inspectors of schools to start legal proceedings, including FIRs, against the institutions involved, and has advised institutions to stop the further studies of affected students.

Education Minister Ranoj Pegu said the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is investigating, and that admissions secured on forged certificates would be cancelled. He said most of the students concerned are from Nagaon district.

Questions over the scale of the response

In neighbouring Hojai district, the district committee of the All Assam Minorities Students' Union has asked for a Special Investigation Team. In a memorandum reported by The Assam Tribune, the union alleged that more than 600 Hojai students obtained such certificates and that no FIR had yet been registered in the district despite the board's directions. It argued that stopping registrations alone would not reach the people who made and sold the documents. These are the union's allegations and have not been tested by investigators.

The case is notable because the certificates were issued in the name of a national board but, according to the regulator, did not come from any of its affiliated schools. The students involved are minors, and many may have paid intermediaries without understanding that the documents were invalid. No individual has been publicly charged so far.

How schools can check school-leaving certificates

Schools admitting students from another board should check the issuing school against that board's published list of affiliated institutions and confirm results directly with the board rather than relying on a printed certificate. Parents offered a Class X certificate without a student having sat a recognised board examination should treat the offer as a warning sign and report it to the district inspector of schools.

Sources

This News Desk report summarises information published by the sources above, written in our own words. Persons named in criminal matters are accused, not convicted, unless a court has ruled otherwise. To report an error, use our contact page.

AssamCISCESchool certificatesCIDClass XI admissions

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