A parliamentary panel has expressed concern over the severe shortage of teachers across the country and the failure of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) to recruit permanent staff since 2019.

The Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, chaired by Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, noted that nearly 10 lakh teaching posts remain vacant in schools nationwide. Despite this, NCTE, the national regulator for teacher education, continues to function largely with temporary consultants, leaving 54% of Group A, 43% of Group B and 89% of Group C positions unfilled as of June 2025.

The report also highlighted the acute crisis in Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas, where 30–50% of posts lie vacant, forcing schools to rely on contractual teachers despite repeated recommendations to the contrary.

The Committee warned against the proliferation of “degree-selling” teacher training colleges, describing them as “shops” rather than institutions, and raised concerns over the rollout of the new four-year B.Ed. course under the Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP).

Key recommendations include filling all vacancies in NCTE and schools by March 2026, linking central salary grants to regular appointments, ending contractual recruitment, and shutting down substandard training colleges.

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