A parliamentary committee report presented to the Lok Sabha has raised serious concerns over acute staffing shortages at two of India’s key school education bodies: the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
According to the Tenth Report of the Committee on Estimates (2026-27), NCERT is operating with over half of its sanctioned posts vacant. As of October 2025, the council had an actual working strength of just 1,248 against a total sanctioned strength of 2,844 positions, leaving 1,596 vacancies. This includes 916 ministerial, 404 ancillary, 145 academic, and 131 school teaching positions. The committee highlighted that such shortages directly impact NCERT’s vital role in implementing the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and developing new syllabi and national curriculum frameworks, reported PTI.
CBSE Facing 44 per cent Unfilled Positions
Similarly, the CBSE faces a 44 per cent staff deficit, with 933 out of 2,117 approved positions lying unfilled. The primary shortage lies in Group ‘C’ support staff, which accounts for 595 vacant positions.
To handle daily operations, CBSE currently relies heavily on temporary contractual staff. The parliamentary panel strongly warned against this, cautioning that using temporary personnel for sensitive exam-related tasks poses a serious threat to the safety, quality, and smooth execution of national board exams. The committee urged the self-funded body to end its reliance on contractual workers and begin fast-track, time-bound recruitment, reported PTI.
The staffing crunch is particularly alarming given CBSE’s massive growth. Between 1992-93 and 2024-25, the number of affiliated schools expanded from 3,787 to 31,234, now managed through 25 regional and 5 sub-regional offices. By 2025, candidate figures soared to over 1.70 million for Class XII and 2.38 million for Class X.
The committee reiterated that urgent Ministry intervention and fast-track recruitment are essential to protect the integrity and operational effectiveness of both apex educational institutions.
