‘Not feasible’: Parliament panel asks Centre to review NCTE draft regulations | Latest News India

A parliamentary standing committee has recommended the Centre to review the draft National Council Teachers Education (NCTE) Regulations, 2025, cautioning that the proposed teacher specialisations courses under the National Education Policy’s (NEP) 5+3+3+4 schooling structure are “not practically feasible” and clash with state recruitment rules.

The panel recommended the Centre to hold extensive consultations with states to align the framework with their recruitment systems and uphold the federal nature of education to avoid litigations.

Parliamentary standing committee on education, women, children, youth and sports in its report on review of NCTE’s functioning presented to Parliament on August 8, has also opposed moves in the draft rules to phase out the four-year Bachelor of Elementary Education (B.El.Ed.) from the 2026–27 academic session in favour of the Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP). It has also suggested upgrading the B.El.Ed. curriculum, expanding it to more institutions, and safeguarding the faculty and infrastructure developed over decades, particularly in women’s colleges and institutions.

NCTE had released the Draft Regulation, 2025, to the public in February 2020 for inputs and suggestions. The draft rules outline new norms and standards for teacher education programmes like ITEP, in line with NEP’s 5+3+3+4 school structure: the foundational stage (three years of pre-school/Balvatika plus Classes 1 to 2), the preparatory stage (Classes 3 to 5), the middle stage (Classes 6 to 8), and the secondary stage (Classes 9 to 12).

The Committee, led by Congress Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh, said having separate teachers for pre-primary to Class 2 and for Classes 3 to 5, is impractical under state recruitment rules, and recommended two broad categories instead — generalist pre-primary or primary teachers who can teach all subjects till Class 5 and subject-specific middle or secondary teachers.

“This approach would allow teachers to work across multiple stages and subjects, which will reduce deployment inflexibilities and imbalances in demand or supply of teachers. A primary teacher can teach classes 1 to 5 with a focus on foundational skills, while secondary teachers can cover classes 6 to 12 with subject expertise,” the committee said while recommending the education ministry’s department of school education and literacy (DoSEL) and NCTE to review draft rules in view of various concerns “regarding hyperspecialization and segmentation of teachers’ education”.

Observing that education finds mention in the Concurrent List of the Constitution, the committee asked the DoSEL to “uphold the federal nature” of teacher education and hold extensive, consultative meetings with the states before changing teacher education structure and align the NCTE draft rules 2025 with the recruitment rules of various states to avoid litigation.

The Committee said each teacher education programme has evolved over decades, warning that ending them based on factors like institution numbers or structural fit is “a short-sighted approach that risks dismantling a proven program.” It urged the government to back B.El.Ed. and allow multiple models, and avoid shutting down successful programmes.

Introduced first by Delhi University (DU) in 1994, the four-year B.El.Ed. degree programme has been adopted by approximately 30 colleges and universities across India. In line with NEP 2020, the NCTE launched the ITEP in the 2023–24 academic session as a four-year dual-major programme that combines teacher education with a chosen disciplinary subject.

The Parliament panel also raised concerns about ITEP.

The Committee noted that 92% of Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) are private and often lack infrastructure, faculty, and academic rigour, “compromising quality and multidisciplinary integration.” It recommended the government to establish at least one well-equipped public sector multidisciplinary TEI in every district under ITEP.

The ITEP, launched in 2023–24 in 57 TEIs, has expanded to 19 central universities, 21 state universities, 7 National Institute of Technology (NITs), 3 Indian Institute of Technology (IITs), and 14 colleges by 2025-26, with admissions through NCET conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).

In its Draft NCTE (Recognition Norms and Procedure) Regulations, 2025, the council also announced four specialised ITEP programmes — ITEP Yoga, Physical Education, Sanskrit Education, and Art Education — which will also be offered from the 2026-27 academic session.