One in four Kendriya Vidyalayas without regular principal, leadership gap grows

Nearly one in four Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) across the country is functioning without a regular principal, according to data shared by the Ministry of Education in Parliament this week. The figures point to a widening leadership gap in the country’s largest network of central schools, despite multiple recruitment drives over the years.

Of the 1,356 functional Kendriya Vidyalayas, only 1,012 have regular or grade-II principals, the ministry informed Parliament. This leaves 344 schools, or roughly 25 per cent, running without a full-time principal. In comparison, official data from eight years ago showed 200 vacant principal posts out of 1,081 sanctioned positions, indicating that the proportion of schools without regular heads has increased as the network has expanded.

Responding to a parliamentary question, the Ministry of Education said vacancies arise regularly due to the opening of new KVs, retirements, resignations, promotions, transfers, employees proceeding on deputation to other departments, and upgradation of schools. It added that filling vacancies is a continuous process under the recruitment rules of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS).

The ministry also said that wherever the post of principal is vacant, KVS regional offices make alternative arrangements by assigning charge to vice-principals or the senior-most teachers as in-charge principals. Contractual teachers are engaged for temporary periods to ensure classroom teaching is not affected while recruitment is underway.

The latest figures come even as KVS has carried out one of its largest recruitment exercises in recent years. According to the government, recruitment for 13,411 teaching and non-teaching posts, including principal vacancies, was completed during 2022-23 after recruitments were disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recruitment has continued since then.

In November last year, KVS notified 8,714 teaching vacancies, including 161 principal posts, through direct recruitment. The Tier-I and Tier-II examinations for these posts were conducted in January and March 2026, respectively. In a separate process, KVS issued a notification in December 2025 to fill 2,153 teaching posts, including 157 principal vacancies, through the Limited Departmental Examination and Limited Departmental Competitive Examination.

The current numbers stand in contrast to the staffing position recorded nearly a decade ago. The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan’s 2015-16 annual report had recorded 200 vacant principal posts across the organisation. It had also reported vacancies of vice-principals in 113 schools, more than 10,000 vacant teaching posts covering primary teachers, trained graduate teachers and post graduate teachers, and over 14,000 vacant non-teaching positions.

The comparison suggests that although recruitment has accelerated in recent years, keeping pace with the expanding Kendriya Vidyalaya network remains a challenge. The number of functioning KVs has increased from 1,142 in 2015-16 to 1,356 at present, creating demand for additional school heads, teachers and administrative staff alongside the expansion.

In its reply, the Ministry of Education maintained that academic standards have not been compromised despite vacancies. It said Kendriya Vidyalayas have consistently recorded high examination results over the years and that temporary administrative arrangements and contractual appointments ensure that the teaching-learning process continues uninterrupted until regular appointments are made.

The government also said KVS provides career progression opportunities to teaching staff through promotions on the basis of seniority-cum-fitness and limited departmental examinations.