6-Month BEd Bridge Course Mandatory to Retain Teaching Jobs; Only Certain Teachers Eligible, Experts Explain

New Delhi: The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) has announced a six-month BEd Bridge Course for primary teachers who were appointed based on the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) notification dated 28 June 2018. Teachers with a BEd degree appointed under this notification must complete the course to retain their jobs. Teachers appointed after this period are exempted from this requirement.

Online Distance Learning Mode
The bridge course will be conducted through online distance learning. After document verification and meeting eligibility criteria, candidates will be registered and provided with study material. The program includes live video lectures, and candidates are required to maintain 90% attendance. Following the coursework, there will be an assessment process conducted by DIET and Government Inter Colleges over 10 days. Teachers must secure at least 75% marks to pass. The bridge course has been carefully designed over a year and covers all components necessary for primary teaching.

Eligibility and Timeline
Prof. Pankaj Arora, Chairman of NCTE, clarified that the bridge course applies to teachers appointed between 28 June 2018 and the Supreme Court’s verdict on 11 August 2023. Teachers appointed after this period are not subject to this requirement. He emphasized that this is a one-time opportunity and all states have been directed to register eligible teachers for the program.

Registration Numbers
According to Prof. Akhilesh Mishra, Chairman of NIOS, so far, 69,281 in-service primary teachers have registered for the bridge course. Uttar Pradesh leads with 34,602 registrations, followed by Madhya Pradesh (10,872), Bihar (8,057), West Bengal (6,647), Himachal Pradesh (487), and Delhi (261). Approximately 100,000 teachers nationwide are expected to be eligible for this program. The last date to apply is 31 January 2026.

Background
The original NCTE notification in 2018 made BEd degree holders eligible for primary teaching positions. This notification was challenged in the Jodhpur High Court and subsequently upheld by the Supreme Court on 11 August 2023. The Supreme Court later instructed NCTE to create the bridge course for teachers appointed between 2018 and 2023 to equip them with essential pedagogical knowledge, while also restricting future primary teacher appointments to candidates with other qualifications.