Now Reading: Parliament panel flags 73% dropouts, 56% vacancies at NCERT, 44% at CBSE
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Parliament panel flags 73% dropouts, 56% vacancies at NCERT, 44% at CBSE
Parliament panel flags 73% dropouts, 56% vacancies at NCERT, 44% at CBSE
A parliamentary committee has told the Lok Sabha that nearly 73% of students drop out before finishing higher secondary, while staff vacancies at NCERT and CBSE stand at 56% and 44% respectively.…
The Story in Brief
A parliamentary committee has told the Lok Sabha that nearly 73% of students drop out before finishing higher secondary, while staff vacancies at NCERT and CBSE stand at 56% and 44% respectively. The Tenth Report of the Committee on Estimates for 2026-27, tabled on August 12, notes that out of over 10.92 lakh government schools, the vast majority are only primary schools. Enrolment falls from 6.18 crore in primary to 1.64 crore in higher secondary.
At NCERT, 1,596 of 2,844 sanctioned posts are vacant, including 145 academic posts. CBSE has 933 of 2,117 positions unfilled, forcing reliance on temporary staff for exam work. The panel also flagged textbook shortages and new application-based exam patterns causing stress, and said more than half of schools lack infrastructure for children with disabilities.
The Indian Opinion
Claims of education reform ring hollow when the bodies that write curricula and run board exams are themselves hollowed out. The committee has pointed to a chasm between policy promises and ground reality, new textbooks are missing, exams cause stress, and most students never reach Class 12. The ministry must stop treating these vacancies as normal. The real test will be whether it fills the 1,596 NCERT posts and the 933 CBSE posts before the next academic session.
Sources (3): indiatoday.in, hindustantimes.com, newindianexpress.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources.
