The duration of the NIOS Diploma programme is 18 months.
Even after completing the NIOS D.El.Ed course, teachers are still not able to use it as a "valid" qualification to sit in recruitment exams. The incident has come to fore as many candidates have been rendered not eligible for teacher recruitment test in states like Bihar. Teachers say they have been cheated with this 'fallacious' training program.
"They started this course with promise that this course will be equivalent to any other D.El.Ed course and we can apply anywhere in India this is clearly written in the NIOS D.El.Ed poster with picture of the Prime Minister on it," said one teacher from Bihar.
This course also approved by NCTE and MHRD even then we are denied to apply in Bihar teacher vacancy," the candidate added.
Candidates from West Bengal, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh have also come up with the same allegations.
The D.El.Ed programme was started on October 2, 2017 to provide training and Diploma to untrained in-service teachers, teaching in various primary and upper primary government, government-aided and private unaided schools across the country, who have joined on or before August 10, 2017. This ambitious project was undertaken by MHRD to train 11 lakh teachers by March 31, 2019.
Considering the huge number of untrained teachers in the country, it was not possible to impart classroom training to them. Therefore the Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD) decided to opt for open and distance mode of teaching for which National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) was roped in. The exam is therefore referred to as NIOS D.El.Ed programme.
A supplementary exam for those who could not qualify the exam within March 2019 will be held in January 2020.
D.El.Ed. At Fault?
The duration of the Diploma programme is 18 months, which is 6 months less than the pre-set norms for teacher recruitment. It is to be noted that initially when the D.El.Ed. course was launched to train the teachers, it was decided to implement it as a 2 year course. However later on it was reduced to 18 months including 6 months of internship.
While many states like Manipur allow NIOS D.El.Ed candidates for the state teacher eligibility test, states like Bihar do not consider D.El.Ed. qualification since it violates government's norms that strictly says D.El.Ed obtained through 2 years course is to be considered for recruitment as teacher.
The 18 month NIOS D.El.Ed programme contradicts the NCTE's guidelines for determining the eligibility of primary/ upper primary level teachers. NCTE, or the National Council for Teacher Education an advisory body for teacher education, considers 2 year Diploma in Elementary Education, among other qualifications essential for the recruitment of teachers.
So while on hand, the government says it has successfully trained the untrained teachers, on the other hand differences at state level teacher recruitment process is nullifying this idea.
NDTV tried to contact NCTE and NIOS, but it did not elicit any response.
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