NCTE sets up two expert panels to amend teacher recruitment norms

New Delhi: The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) has set up two expert committees to amend teacher recruitment rules and eligibility guidelines for the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) and State Teacher Eligibility Tests (STET), paving the way for graduates of its four-year Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) to qualify for school teaching jobs, according to orders seen by HT.

The move comes ahead of the first batch of ITEP students completing the programme in 2027. Although the NCTE recognises ITEP as a teacher education programme, the existing recruitment regulations and TET guidelines do not explicitly include it as a qualifying degree. The committees will recommend amendments to address this gap and make ITEP an additional eligibility pathway.

“The first batch is expected to graduate in May-June 2027, by which time the amendments are expected to be notified,” an NCTE official familiar with the development said. Until the changes are formally notified and incorporated into the relevant rules, ITEP graduates will not be eligible to apply for covered teaching posts or appear for CTET and STET on the basis of the degree, the official added.

Launched in the 2023-24 academic session, ITEP aims to prepare teachers for different stages of school education under the 5+3+3+4 curricular structure envisaged by the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020. The structure divides schooling into four stages: foundational (five years, ages 3-8), preparatory (three years, ages 8-11), middle (three years, ages 11-14) and secondary (four years, ages 14-18).

NEP 2020 envisages the four-year integrated degree becoming the minimum qualification for schoolteachers by 2030. The proposed amendments, however, will add ITEP to the existing list of recognised qualifications rather than replace courses such as the two-year Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed), Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) and four-year Bachelor of Elementary Education (B.El.Ed).

At present, CTET and STET eligibility rules prescribe different qualifications for teaching Classes 1-5 and Classes 6-8. These include D.El.Ed, B.El.Ed, B.Ed and four-year integrated B.A.Ed/B.Sc.Ed programmes, subject to the prescribed requirements for each level. Qualifying the relevant Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) is an essential requirement for appointment to covered teaching posts, along with other conditions set by recruiting authorities.

In an October 8 order, the NCTE constituted the first committee, chaired by former IAS officer Prof Nirmaljeet Singh Kalsi, to review its 2014 regulations governing minimum qualifications for schoolteacher recruitment. The committee has been asked to prepare a draft amendment to include ITEP as a minimum qualification and submit it to the NCTE chairperson within 30 days.

The 12-member panel includes representatives of the Union education ministry’s department of school education and literacy (DoSEL), the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), the Rehabilitation Council of India and Haryana’s State Council of Educational Research and Training, besides academics from Delhi University.

The October 8 order cites an “urgent need” to include ITEP in recruitment regulations to “ensure that the qualifications prescribed for recruitment of teachers remain aligned with the teacher education programmes recognised by the NCTE”.

The second committee, constituted through an October 12 order and chaired by retired Delhi University professor Chand Kiran Saluja, will review CTET and STET guidelines and recommend changes to make ITEP graduates eligible for these examinations. Its mandate covers the relevant teaching levels, including primary and upper-primary classes.

The 10-member panel includes representatives from the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), DoSEL, CBSE, KVS and NVS, along with Delhi University academics. It has been asked to submit its recommendations, along with proposed amendments to the TET guidelines, to the NCTE by October 31.

The October 12 order says the committee must submit its recommendations within one month of the order, “not later than 31st Oct 2026”. It will examine how ITEP can be included as an eligibility pathway and how existing provisions can be “harmonised” with the new programme.

Both committees may consult subject experts and representatives of ministries, regulatory bodies, examination agencies, higher education institutions, school boards, states and Union territories, the orders said.

ITEP offers a four-year integrated degree after Class 12 and is intended to replace the conventional route of completing a bachelor’s degree followed by a two-year B.Ed. According to the NCTE’s October 12 order, 409 higher education institutions have been recognised to offer the programme, with a combined intake of 38,850 students across 777 units.