Education

NCTE Forms Committees to Include ITEP Graduates in Teacher Recruitment and Eligibility Tests

By Sanjay Maurya

The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) has established two expert committees to revise teacher recruitment rules and eligibility criteria for the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) and State Teacher Eligibility Tests (STET). The aim is to allow graduates of the four‑year Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) to qualify for school teaching positions. The change comes as the first cohort of ITEP students is expected to finish the programme in 2027.

The ITEP, launched in the 2023‑24 academic session, aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020’s 5+3+3+4 curricular structure, which divides 15 years of schooling into Foundational (ages 3‑8), Preparatory (ages 8‑11), Middle (ages 11‑14) and Secondary (ages 14‑18) stages. NEP 2020 also envisions the four‑year integrated degree becoming the minimum qualification for school teachers by 2030.

Currently, CTET/STET eligibility requires various teacher‑education qualifications such as a two‑year Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed), a four‑year Bachelor of Elementary Education (B.El.Ed), a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed), or a four‑year integrated B.A.Ed/B.Sc.Ed programme. The new committees will examine these frameworks and recommend amendments.

The first committee, formed by an office order dated 8 October and chaired by former IAS officer Prof Nirmaljeet Singh Kalsi, will review the NCTE’s 2014 regulations on minimum qualifications for teacher recruitment. It must draft an amendment to recognise ITEP as a minimum qualification and submit it to the NCTE chairperson within 30 days. The 12‑member panel includes representatives from the Union Education Ministry’s Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), CBSE, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), the Rehabilitation Council of India, Haryana’s State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), and academics from Delhi University.

The second committee, constituted on 12 October and chaired by retired Delhi University professor Chand Kiran Saluja, will review guidelines for CTET and STET and recommend changes to allow ITEP graduates to appear for these exams. The 10‑member panel includes representatives from NCERT, DoSEL, CBSE, KVS, NVS, and Delhi University academics. It must submit its recommendations and proposed amendments by 31 October.

Both committees may invite subject experts and representatives from ministries, regulatory bodies, examination agencies, higher education institutions, school boards, and states and Union territories for consultations.

The ITEP programme offers a four‑year integrated degree after Class 12, replacing the traditional route of a bachelor’s degree followed by a two‑year B.Ed. As per the NCTE’s 12 October order, 409 higher education institutions have been recognised to offer ITEP, with a combined intake of 38,850 students across 777 units.