- NCERT faces 1,596 vacancies, impacting educational policy formulation.
- CBSE has 44 per cent of posts unfilled, relying on contractual staff.
- Parliamentary panel urges Ministry to fill critical education vacancies.
NCERT Vacancy: A large number of posts are vacant in two of the country's major educational institutions, NCERT and CBSE. According to a recent report by a parliamentary committee, there are 1,596 vacancies in NCERT, while approximately 44 percent of posts in CBSE remain unfilled.
A report by Parliament's Estimates Committee reveals that a significant number of posts are vacant in these two key educational institutions. The committee stated that the staff shortage in these two institutions could impact their functioning, based on findings from its report on "budgetary and policy aspects related to providing affordable and quality education in the country," which was tabled in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
Staff Shortage Across Various NCERT Branches
The committee noted that the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has played a pivotal role in formulating educational policies in India, including the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. 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), and syllabi and textbooks based on these frameworks are already being developed.
1,596 Posts Vacant Against Sanctioned Strength
The committee expressed concern over the large number of vacancies across various posts within NCERT. As of October 2025, against a sanctioned strength of 2,844 posts across various NCERT branches, the actual strength was only 1,248, leaving 1,596 posts vacant. These vacancies comprised 145 academic, 131 school teaching, 916 ministerial, and 404 ancillary posts.
Impact Of Vacancies On NCERT's Operations
The report stated that "the existence of such a large number of vacancies in NCERT, a premier body playing a pivotal role in reimagining and reshaping education in the country, is a matter that requires the Ministry's immediate attention."
The Committee urged the Ministry to make sincere efforts to fill the various vacant posts, given education's transformative role in national growth and NCERT's crucial part in driving this change.
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CBSE Faces 44% Vacancy, Relies On Contractual Staff
The Committee also expressed concern over the significant shortage of permanent staff at the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). It noted that out of 2,117 sanctioned posts, 933 (44 percent) are vacant, with the most acute shortage among Group 'C' support staff, at 595 vacancies.
The Committee highlighted that CBSE currently relies on temporary and contractual staff to manage its day-to-day operations, warning that such a shortage of permanent staff could pose a serious threat to the security, quality, and smooth conduct of major national board examinations.