No permanent recruitment of teaching, non-teaching staff by NCTE since 2019: Par panel

New Delhi, Aug 18 (PTI) The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), which is the regulator for teacher training in the country, has not made any permanent recruitment of teaching or non-teaching staff since 2019 while schools across the country continue to grapple with nearly 10 lakh unfilled teaching positions, a parliamentary panel has flagged.

The Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports headed by Congress' Digvijaya Singh, has warned of a crackdown on "degree-selling" teacher training colleges that have mushroomed into "shops" rather than institutions.

"The Committee takes note of the submission of Department and NCTE which states that to mitigate the shortage, temporary measures have been taken by employing consultants on short-term contracts. The Committee also takes serious note that no recruitments of permanent teaching, non-teaching and administrative staffs have been made by NCTE since 2019," the panel said in its report.

According to the panel, around 10 lakh posts of teachers in schools are lying vacant in the country.

"The committee also notes that out of 14.8 lakh schools, Government of India administers just about 3,000 schools. In this regard, the Committee is constrained to note that level of vacancies in GoI administered schools like Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs), Navodaya Vidyalayas (NVs) etc are also alarming.

"There are overall 30 to 50 pc vacancies in KVs and NVs also and contractual appointments of teachers are being done inspite of repeated recommendations of the Committee to fill-up the vacancies," it added.

According to the report, as of June 2025, 54 per cent of Group A posts, 43 pc of Group B and 89 pc of Group C positions in the NCTE remain vacant.

The panel has warned that adding to the crisis are concerns over the rollout of the new four-year B.Ed. course, over-centralisation in curriculum design and the heavy dependence on contractual teachers.

The Committee's top recommendations include filling vacancies in the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) and schools by March 2026, linking central salary grants to regular appointments, stopping contractual appointments of teachers in these schools and shutting down substandard colleges.

The Committee also flagged challenges in the rollout of the Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP), a four-year B.Ed. course that will be the minimum qualification for teachers from 2030. PTI GJS GJS KSS KSS