Highlighting staff shortages at two national education bodies, a parliamentary committee recently noted that more than half of the approved positions at NCERT
are vacant, and 44 per cent of positions at CBSE remain unfilled, as reported by PTI. The findings are part of the Tenth Report (Eighteenth Lok Sabha) of the Committee on Estimates (2026-27) on 'Budget and Policy Aspects for Providing Affordable and Quality Education in the Country including Review of Central Board of Secondary Education', presented to Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The panel observed that the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has played a pivotal role in shaping educational policies in India, including the National Educational Policy 2020, intending to revolutionise education in India. The Ministry of Education (MoE) has apprised the panel that NCERT has developed the National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage (NCFFS) and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE), and has begun developing syllabi and textbooks based on these frameworks in accordance with NEP 2020. The panel, nevertheless, articulated concerns about the large number of posts in NCERT lying vacant. It observed that as of October 2025, against the sanctioned strength of 2,844 posts at various branches of NCERT, the actual strength was only 1,248, leaving vacancies of 1,596 posts. Of these, 145 vacancies were in academic, 131 in school teaching, 916 in ministerial and 404 in ancillary posts. "The Committee are of the view that having so many posts vacant in NCERT, which is an apex body instrumental in rethinking and reshaping education in a manner that is national in scope, deserves urgent attention of the Ministry," the report said. The committee recommended that the ministry diligently strive to fill the vacancies, given that education constitutes the transformative force for the growth of the nation and the significant role played by NCERT in bringing about this transformation.
Panel Flags Permanent Staff Shortage in CBSE
The panel also flagged concerns over a major permanent staffing crunch in the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
It noted that out of 2,117 approved positions, 933 posts (44 per cent) are vacant. The major shortage is seen in Group 'C' support staff, with 595 vacant positions.
The committee further observed that the board is currently hinging on interim, contractual staff to manage its day-to-day tasks.
"The Committee are of the view that such shortage of permanent staff may put the safety, quality, and smooth running of major national board exams at serious risk," the report said.
The panel strongly recommended that CBSE "should stop relying on temporary contractual workers for sensitive exam work" and take appropriate measures to fill all vacant positions through fast-track recruitment in a timely manner.
"By 2025, student numbers rose to over 1.70 million in Class XII and over 2.38 million in Class X," it said.
It further noted that CBSE is a self-funded autonomous body and does not receive any grant-in-aid from the ministry.
The panel said the number of schools affiliated with CBSE has shot up from 3,787 in 1992-93 to 31,234 in 2024-25 (as on October 8, 2025). It acknowledged that the board has spread positively and is now being handled via 25 regional offices and five sub-regional offices to serve the requirements of an increasing number of students.
"By 2025, student numbers rose to over 1.70 million in Class XII and over 2.38 million in Class X," it said.
(With Inputs from PTI)
