The Union Ministry of Education (MoE) has launched a six-month certificate (bridge) course in Primary Teacher Education (PTE) in order to impart a comprehensive training to teach the students at the primary schools.

The MoE in a statement said that the course is tailored for the primary school teachers who hold a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) degree.

“It will serve as a critical pathway for such teachers to attain certification to teach at the primary level,” it stated.

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The course will be implemented through the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) and will equip teachers with child-centred, inclusive and development-appropriate teaching practices, strengthening the quality of education at the foundational and primary stages.

Designed according to the framework of National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), the course will strengthen primary-stage pedagogical competencies through academic learning, at least 10 days of online contact classes and at least 20 days of school-based experience, the ministry said.

It said that the course will enable teachers to cater to the diverse learning needs of young children. Comprising six theory courses and a school-based practicum, the programme provides a robust framework to connect educational theory with classroom practice.

“The bridge course aims at empowering primary teachers with the skills, attitudes and reflective capacities necessary to ensure quality education and lifelong learning for all children in primary classrooms. It promotes a vision of teaching as a dynamic, context-sensitive, and inquiry-based profession,” the statement said.

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The MoE, citing a judgment of the Apex Court issued in 2024, said that NCTE has been empowered to devise a bridge course for those appointees who were appointed as primary teachers but did not have D.El.Ed qualification.

Accordingly, the bridge course was designed for in-service primary school teachers appointed between 28 June 2018 to 11 August 2023 to teach at the primary level (Classes I-V) with a B.Ed. degree.

The education ministry said that this course is specifically intended for those teachers whose appointments are protected under the NCTE Gazette Notification.