NCTE launches 6-month training program for BEd teachers facing termination

In a move to address the job insecurity faced by an estimated 3 to 4 lakh primary teachers across India, the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) has rolled out a mandatory six-month bridge course.

This initiative aims to equip teachers with the necessary skills and qualifications, ensuring job retention while enhancing their pedagogical expertise.

The course is specifically designed for BEd-qualified teachers who were appointed to primary teaching roles following NCTE’s guidelines issued on June 28, 2018.

States like Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh had the highest rates of such recruitments.

These teachers must now complete a specialized course in primary teacher education to retain their jobs, with the risk of termination if they fail to comply.

In other states, such as Chhattisgarh, teachers have already been dismissed.

However, with the introduction of the new course, there is renewed optimism that many of them could be rehired upon meeting the necessary training requirements.

Professor Pankaj Arora, Chairman of NCTE, explained that the online training will be provided by the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS).

The curriculum has been carefully crafted to meet both the intellectual and practical demands of elementary education.

To encourage practical learning and real-world teaching experience, the course will include a mandatory internship component alongside its academic modules.

Only BEd degree holders who were hired as primary teachers between June 28, 2018, and August 11, 2023—the day the Supreme Court rendered its final decision on the issue—are eligible to enroll in the bridge course.

The new rule does not apply to teachers hired after this date.

The issue dates back to the 2018 NCTE notification, which allowed BEd graduates to be eligible for primary teacher positions, leading to mass recruitment.

However, the Primary Teachers' Association challenged this decision, prompting the Rajasthan High Court (Jodhpur Bench) to rule against the notification.

As the matter escalated, the SC upheld the High Court's ruling in August 2023, declaring the appointments invalid under the prevailing standards.

To ensure the affected teachers received the necessary pedagogical training, the Supreme Court directed NCTE to create a bridge course, with a deadline of April 7, 2025, to introduce and begin the program.

In addition to providing job stability for thousands of teachers, this six-month training program is expected to enhance their ability to meet the unique challenges of elementary education.