New Delhi, Sept 18 (INB) Union Education Minister Prahlad Joshi has launched a six-month Certificate (Bridge) Course in Primary Teacher Education for in-service primary teachers holding B.Ed degrees, the Ministry of Education said. The course, launched on September 16, is aimed at providing specialised training to teachers teaching Classes I-V and strengthening their pedagogical skills and competencies, the ministry said in a statement issued on Thursday. The programme will be implemented through the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) and is designed in accordance with the framework of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), it said. The course will focus on child-centred, inclusive and developmentally appropriate teaching practices and include six theory courses along with a school-based practicum, it added. It will comprise at least 10 days of online contact classes and at least 20 days of school-based experience, including practice teaching, reflective journals and portfolios. The programme will be delivered through the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode and will include contact programmes, video tutorials, e-learning material and digital platforms, allowing teachers to pursue the course while continuing their professional responsibilities, it said. The course has been designed pursuant to the Supreme Court’s April 8, 2024 judgement in Civil Appeal No. 5068 of 2023, Devesh Sharma Vs Union of India and Others, which empowered the NCTE to devise a bridge course for certain primary teacher appointees who did not possess a D.El.Ed qualification, according to the ministry. The bridge course is specifically intended for in-service primary teachers appointed between June 28, 2018 and August 11, 2023, with a B.Ed degree, whose appointments are protected under the NCTE Gazette Notification dated June 28, 2018, it said. The medium of instruction will be Hindi and English, while teachers will be allowed to write the theory public examination in any of the 22 scheduled languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, the ministry said. Admissions will be conducted online through the designated NIOS bridge course portal. Eligible teachers can register, upload documents and track their admission status through the portal, while course materials will be provided digitally. The programme will also provide teachers access to supplementary learning resources, including audio and video content and interactive material, it said.
