Despite 779 vacant posts at the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), only 20 posts were filled in 2024.
Nearly half (45.7%) of the teachers posts are vacant at National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).
These are the findings of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Women, Children, Education, Youth and Sports which were presented in Parliament on 26 March this year.
CBSE and NCERT are two of the seven autonomous bodies that fall under the Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL).
The remaining five are:
National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE)
National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS)
National Bal Bhavan (NBB)
Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS)
Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS)
These bodies help in the implementation of various schemes related to school education. Of the seven, NCTE, NIOS and CBSE do not receive any budgetary allocation from DSEL.
While we looked at unspent funds and unfilled teachers' posts in KVS and NVS in the third story for The Quint's State of Education series; in this story, we talk about the acute shortage of staff in crucial educational institutions such as NCERT and CBSE, which are tasked with driving systemic change.
We also look at institutions like NIOS — which caters to children belonging to marginalised communities or with special needs — and NCTE, which works towards training and mentoring teachers.
A large number of vacancies in such institutions means a direct impact on children, who need extra attention — which is not only counter-productive but also widens the gap between the privileged and those on the margins.
One in Three Posts Vacant at NCERT; Marginalised Communities Under-represented
NCERT was registered as a society in 1961 and was set up to advise the Central and state governments on policies to improve the quality of school education. NCERT does so by preparing model textbooks, publishing reading material, training teachers, etc.
For this, NCERT was allocated Rs 560 crore (revised) for FY 25. Of this, Rs 506 crore—or nearly 90 percent of the funds—were spent.
However, NCERT has many teachers’ posts lying vacant. For instance, 27.5 percent of posts are vacant in ‘Group A’ comprising academic staff.
Similarly, among teaching staff, 37.5 percent posts are vacant in Group A while 46 percent are vacant in Group B. Of the total sanctioned strength of 271 teachers in Groups A and B, 124 — or 45.7 percent — remain vacant.
Besides, the under-representation of teachers and academic staff from the marginalised communities — Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and Persons with Disabilities (PwD) — reflects in the curriculum being designed by NCERT.
For instance, in the last five years, the following sections have been removed from NCERT books:
The autobiographical account of renowned Dalit writer Omprakash Valmiki, which talks about caste discrimination, has been removed from Social Science textbooks for classes 7 and 8.
A passage on manual scavenging from social activist Harsh Mander's book was removed from the Class 12 Sociology textbook as was a poem on the Dalit movement.
References to the Tawa Matsya Sangh, a cooperative movement by displaced forest dwellers in Madhya Pradesh advocating for their fishing rights, was also omitted. It was earlier used to illustrate grassroots activism and Adivasi rights movements.
No Permanent Hiring at NCERT in 2021, 2022
Talking about this, educationist Mitra Ranjan told The Quint, "At a time when the ruling dispensation is seen vehemently distorting historical facts, the role of NCERT in imparting unbiased knowledge through an objective curriculum becomes all the more cardinal.
"However, it is shocking to see NCERT promulgating political agenda in children's textbooks by deleting chapters on, say, the Delhi Sultanate or the Mughal Empire. It wouldn't come as a surprise if the recruitment of staff at NCERT was also driven by the same agenda," claimed Ranjan, who is the Coordinator, National Secretariat at RTE Forum, a group of organisations working for the implementation of the RTE Act.
Another worrying trend pointed out in the report was the increase in the number of contractual appointments, coupled with reduced permanent appointments.
No permanent staff—in Group A or B—was recruited by NCERT in 2021 and 2022, while one was recruited in Group B in the year 2023. Data was not available for contractual hirings in 2020.
The committee recommended NCERT to fill up vacancies "in mission mode" by the end of this year and to stop contractual hiring completely as it undermines reservations for marginalised communities.
Despite 779 Vacancies at CBSE, Only 20 Hirings in 2024
CBSE is an examination conducting body under the control of the Union Education Ministry. It grants affiliation to schools for conducting Class 10 and Class 12 board exams as well as trains teachers. At present it has 30,564 schools under its ambit.
However, 43.39 percent—or a little less than half—the total number of posts are lying vacant in CBSE.
Despite 779 vacant posts, only 20 posts were filled in 2024; while 23 posts were filled in 2023.
Taking serious note “of the casual approach of DSEL and CBSE,” the Parliamentary Standing Committee directed them to fill up the vacancies (including backlog) in mission mode latest by 2025-end.
The committee also recommended CBSE to:
Monitor malpractices of private schools such as charging exorbitant fees, and mandating purchase of books, uniforms, shoes from specific vendors at high prices.
With respect to conduct of two board exams, the examination fee must not be hiked for all students but only those who opt for an additional attempt.
One in Three Posts Vacant at National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS)
NIOS offers learner-centred education that caters to the unique needs of school dropouts, marginalized groups, and differently-abled individuals. It plays a significant role in achieving the objectives of the New Education Policy, 2020 by bridging the gap in formal education and providing alternate learning opportunities.
For instance, NIOS has developed over 1000 Indian Sign Language (ISL) videos and talking books, covering 23 subjects at both the Secondary and Senior Secondary levels. It is important to note that NIOS does not get any budgetary support from DSEL.
From the year 2019 to 2024, NIOS filled up 98 posts by direct recruitment on permanent basis. However, 139 or 35 percent of the total sanctioned posts remain vacant.
A diminished workforce translates to stalled progress in making public education more inclusive and equitable. This directly affects children belonging to vulnerable groups, who count on public education for upward social mobility.
The committee recommended that vacant posts are filled at the earliest by the end of 2025. It added that NIOS should offer courses in languages other than English and Hindi as well. Further the committee noted that NIOS has “surplus revenue” which it can devote to dedicated office space for its regional centres.
More Than Half Posts Vacant in NBB; No Permanent Hiring Since 2020
NBB was established as a society in 1956 and provides non-formal education centres for children between the ages of 5 and 16 years. Its objective is to enhance the creative potential and skills of children by imparting training in activities such as art, craft, music, dance, handicraft, weaving, home management and physical education.
NBB was allocated Rs 24.3 crore (revised), of which, Rs 21.7 crore have actually been spent as of 18 February 2025.
However, 101 posts — i.e. 65.6 percent of the sanctioned strength of 154 — are vacant as of 31 December 2024. These include the ones which have been filled through contractual appointments, which comprise 54 percent of the sanctioned strength.
“The Committee expresses its anguish over the fact that NBB has not appointed a single personnel on permanent basis from January 2020 till 31st December 2024. Only two appointments in Group 'A' and Group 'C' have been made by "deputation" during last five years which describes the state of affairs in NBB.”
It noted that the NBB cannot realise its vision through vacant posts and contractual appointments and asked the institution to fill up permanent appointments by the end of this year.
The committee also stated its dissatisfaction with the geographical dispersion of Bal Bhawans and recommended one for each district across India.
No New Recruitments at NCTE Since 2019
NCTE was established by an act of the Parliament in 1995. It grants recognition to teacher education institutions and works towards training and mentoring of teachers as well as enhancing their personal and professional development. It does not receive any budgetary support from DSEL.
NCTE has not made any new recruitments of permanent teaching, non-teaching or administrative staff since 2019 "in view of directives given by Secretary, DSEL in September 2020." Besides, over half of the posts at NCTE are vacant as of now.
While 164 staffers were hired on a contractual basis, none of them was a teacher.
The Committee said that it “fails to understand why Secretary, DSEL had issued such directives for stoppage of recruitment since September 2020 which has adversely affected the day-to-day working of NCTE” and recommended DSEL to withdraw the directives immediately so as to fill up vacancies.
It also observed that persistent teachers' shortages, outdated training methodologies, and curriculum gaps have weakened the education system.
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