NCERT has 1,596 vacancies, CBSE 933; parliamentary panel flags staff shortages

More than half of the sanctioned positions at the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) are vacant, while 44% of posts at the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) remain unfilled, a parliamentary committee flagged on August 12. The Committee on Estimates has flagged the staff shortage at the two key school education bodies and called for urgent steps to fill the vacant posts.

The findings are part of the tenth report (18th 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’. The report was presented to the Lok Sabha on August 12.

The committee highlighted that NCERT has played an important role in shaping education policies in India, including National Education Policy , NEP 2020, which aims to bring major changes to education system.

As of October 2025, NCERT had 2,844 sanctioned posts across its different branches. Of these, only 1,248 were filled, leaving 1,596 vacant posts. The vacancies included 145 academic posts, 131 school teaching posts, 916 ministerial posts and 404 ancillary posts.

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"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, deserve urgent attention of the Ministry," the report said. The committee said the Ministry should make a "sincere effort" to fill the vacant posts, considering the important role of education in the country's growth and NCERT's contribution to this process.

CBSE expands its operation

The committee strongly recommended that CBSE should stop relying on temporary contractual workers for sensitive exam works and take steps to fill all vacant positions through fast-track recruitment within a fixed timeline. According to the committee, the number of schools affiliated with CBSE increased from 3,787 in 1992-93 to 31,234 in 2024-25, as of October 8, 2025. CBSE has expanded its operations through 25 regional offices and five sub-regional offices to meet the needs of its growing student base.

The panel said that by 2025, the number of students had risen to more than 1.70 million in Class 12 and more than 2.38 million in Class 10.

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Major shortage at CBSE: Panel

Amid this expansion, the committee flagged a "major shortage" of permanent staff at CBSE . It noted that 933 of the board's 2,117 approved positions, or 44%, were vacant. The largest shortage was among Group 'C' support staff, with 595 vacant positions. The panel also mentioned that the boars is currently depending on temporary and contractual staff to manage its day-to-day work.

"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 Ministry of Education informed the committee that NCERT has developed the National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage (NCFFS) and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE). MoE is also developing syllabi and textbooks based on these frameworks in line with NEP 2020.

(With PTI inputs)