More than 12,000 teaching posts are currently lying vacant across Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) and Navodaya Vidyalayas (NVs) in the country, the Ministry of Education informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, July 23.

The data was shared by Union Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary in a written reply, highlighting the persistent staffing challenges faced by Central government-run schools, as per a report by India Today.

According to the figures provided, 7,765 posts are currently vacant in Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), while 4,323 positions remain unfilled in Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS). Combined, this brings the total number of vacancies in these premier school systems to 12,088.

To address this shortage, the minister said that recruitment is an ongoing process and is conducted in line with the relevant recruitment rules. Additionally, to ensure that teaching and academic activities are not disrupted, schools are allowed to hire contractual teachers on a temporary basis.

The staffing crisis isn’t limited to schools alone. Chaudhary also revealed that 143 academic posts are vacant in the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). Moreover, 60 vacancies exist within the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE). Recruitment for both these bodies is currently in progress, he assured.