Minister of Human Resource Development (HRD) Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' told the Parliament today that as per the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, the NCTE or National Council for Teacher Education has been notified as an academic authority to lay down minimum qualifications for appointment as a teacher. The minister was responding to a question asked by Member of Parliament Pankaj Chaudhary in the Lok Sabha regarding the D.El.Ed examination conducted by National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) to in-service untrained elementary teachers.
NIOS conducted an 18 months D.El.Ed. course for in-service untrained elementary teachers which had recognition from NCTE, subject to fulfilment of certain conditions, the minister said.
"In 2017, the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 was amended to extend the time limit for all in-service untrained elementary teachers to acquire the minimum qualification prescribed by National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), by 31st March, 2019," he said.
"Subsequently, the responsibility of imparting the training to in-service untrained elementary teachers was entrusted to National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS). NIOS conducted an 18 months D.El.Ed. course for in-service untrained elementary teachers which had recognition from NCTE, subject to fulfilment of certain conditions," he added.
"As per Section 23(1) of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, the NCTE has been notified as an academic authority to lay down minimum qualifications for appointment as a teacher. For a person to be eligible for appointment as a teacher in schools, the NCTE has notified the minimum qualifications vide notification dated 23rd August, 2010 as amended from time to time," he said.
After the HRD ministry gave a chance for those teachers who have not done the teachers training course but teaching the students of class 1 to class 8 two years' time to clear the course and become eligible, nearly 15 lakh of them had enrolled for a training course by the MHRD. These 15 lakh candidates included over 10 lakh applicants from private schools across India.
In the first NIOS D.El.Ed exam, close to 12 lakh candidates had appeared.
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