Schools Face Staffing Crisis: Vacancies Hit NCERT, CBSE

A recent parliamentary panel report has revealed critical staffing deficiencies within India's key educational bodies, NCERT and CBSE. NCERT is currently grappling with 1,596 vacancies against its 2,844 sanctioned posts, encompassing academic, teaching, ministerial, and ancillary roles.

Similarly, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has 933 unfilled positions out of 2,117 approved posts. The panel expressed concern that CBSE's increasing dependency on temporary and contractual employees could jeopardize the safety, quality, and smooth execution of national board examinations.

The report also underscored a broader issue of underfunding in education. Combined central and state expenditure on education stands at 4.1% of GDP, falling short of the 6% target set by the National Education Policy 2020. The panel urged for increased public spending, advocating for a time-bound financial roadmap and a dedicated, non-lapsable fund for educational infrastructure and development.

Additionally, the panel identified a significant student dropout rate, with nearly 73% of students not completing higher secondary education. To address this, they recommended upgrading more primary and secondary schools to the higher secondary level and noted regional disparities in higher secondary gross enrollment ratios, particularly in states like Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, and Nagaland.

Concerns were also raised about the digital divide, with only 58.6% of government schools having internet access, often plagued by poor speeds and unreliable connectivity. The rollout of CBSE's new competency-based curriculum for senior grades is also facing challenges, as NCERT is still developing textbooks for the same classes, potentially causing academic stress for students.