Centre to launch a bridge course for B Ed teachers to teach elementary classes

The objective behind roll out of the course is to help lakhs of such teachers become eligible for teaching jobs at lower primary level under the Right to Education (RTE) Act.

As per RTE Act, a school teacher with a B Ed degree is eligible for teaching students of classes VI and above while those with a diploma in elementary education (DEIED) are qualified for teaching students of classes I-V.

“Though a large number of teachers with B Ed degree are deployed at elementary schools, they are not qualified for teaching students of classes I to V as per provisions of RTE Act. They need to have a diploma in elementary education (D EI ED) to be able to take classes of lower primary students,” a Ministry official said.

To address this issue, the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) has prepared a six month bridge course which will be conducted as an in-service training programme to help such teachers acquire basic qualification (D EI ED) and become eligible for teaching lower primary students.

“We are hoping to roll out the programme next week,” the official added.

The bridge course for the BEd teachers will be conducted by the NIOS through Swayam—a massive open and online platform. It will also be made available to the candidates at Government's education channels, Swayam Prabha.

This comes after the Ministry rolled out an 18-month online D EI ED course for untrained teachers this week. About 15 lakh teachers, employed at government and private schools in the country, have registered for the course, designed by the NIOS, to become RTE complaint by March 31, 2019, and save their job.