1,596 Posts Vacant in NCERT and 933 in CBSE; Parliamentary Committee Raises Concerns

According to a parliamentary committee report, more than half of the sanctioned posts at NCERT are vacant, while approximately 44 percent of posts at CBSE remain unfilled.

The parliamentary committee has expressed concern over the large number of vacancies at NCERT and CBSE. The report reveals that over half of the sanctioned posts at NCERT are vacant, and about 44 percent of posts at CBSE are unfilled. The committee has recommended that the Ministry of Education and CBSE complete the recruitment process to fill these positions promptly. This information was disclosed in the committee’s tenth report (covering 2026-27), which was tabled in the Lok Sabha. The report reviews CBSE’s functioning alongside budget and policy aspects related to affordable and quality education in the country.

1,596 Vacant Posts in NCERT

According to the committee, a total of 2,844 posts were sanctioned at NCERT as of October 2025. Of these, only 1,248 posts were filled, while 1,596 remained vacant. This means that more than half of NCERT’s sanctioned staff positions were unfilled. The vacancies include 145 academic posts, 131 school teacher posts, 916 ministerial posts, and 404 other support posts. The committee has urged the Ministry of Education to pay immediate attention to the high number of vacancies at NCERT. The report notes that NCERT is a key institution for developing innovative educational approaches and shaping the curriculum at the national level; therefore, the staff shortage there must be treated seriously.

NCERT Crucial for NEP 2020

NCERT’s role is also linked to the implementation of NEP 2020. The Ministry of Education informed the committee that NCERT has prepared the National Curriculum Framework for the Foundational Stage and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education. Work on developing curricula and textbooks based on these frameworks has also commenced. In light of this, the committee has emphasized the need for concrete efforts to fill vacant positions at NCERT.

933 Vacancies at CBSE

The parliamentary committee has also expressed concern regarding the staff shortage at CBSE. According to the report, there are a total of 2,117 sanctioned posts at CBSE, of which 933 are vacant. This represents approximately 44 percent of the total sanctioned strength. The most significant shortage is among Group C support staff, with 595 vacancies in this category.

Increase in Number of CBSE-Affiliated Schools and Students

The report also highlights the expanding scope of CBSE. While 3,787 schools were affiliated with CBSE in 1992–93, this figure rose to 31,234 by 2024–25. To manage this growing network of schools, CBSE now operates 25 regional offices and five sub-regional offices. There has also been a steady increase in the number of students; in 2025, there were over 1.7 million Class 12 students and more than 2.38 million Class 10 students affiliated with CBSE.