NCTE - Role and Functions of NCTE (National Council For Teacher Education)

Finding a balance between being an effective teacher and a dedicated educator is an essential part of the teaching profession. Although the self-motivated urge to learn is important, so are the professional development opportunities and systematic education methods.

Teachers are central to the academic system; therefore, ensuring their quality education impacts how they impart knowledge to students and nourish their minds, intellect, and curiosity. That is where NCTE comes into play, helping them learn relevant pedagogical strategies and instructional techniques.

But what is NCTE, and how does it enhance teacher’s education and ensure long-term development? Let’s have a look:

Objectives OF NCTE

• A uniformed and systematic training and education of teachers across the country is one of the primary objectives of the council.
• Regulates specific programs and maintains the standards and norms for quality teacher education.
• Designs and updates teacher education that incorporates innovative teaching approaches.
• It regulates non-formal education, part-time education, and adult education, helping to set standards and guidelines for teacher education beyond formal education.
• The council identifies potential initiatives to empower collaboration and synergy between Cluster Resource Centres (CRCs) and Block Resource Centres (BRCs), both of which provide significant support to the teachers.
• Enhance teachers’ capacity and skills through well-researched steps and procedures, which can help them facilitate enriching classroom experiences.
• It emphasises the improvement of the education system and assists in the implementation of education policies by creating teacher training standards.

Functions of NCTE

• The National Council for Teacher Education conducts various studies and surveys that provide insights into different components of teacher education.
• It makes appropriate recommendations to the Central and State Government Universities, University Grants Commission, and other recognised institutes, which help develop relevant teacher education programs.
• Similar to AICTE, which handles different components of technical education, NCTE develops, coordinates, and monitors teacher education.
• It establishes essential guidelines concerning the minimum qualifications that a person needs to pursue the teaching profession in India.
• It sets the standards for teacher education training and specific categories of courses, including minimum eligibility criteria for admission, selection methods of candidates, course duration, curriculum mode and course content.
• It provides guidelines through which recognised or accredited institutes can start new courses or training programs, install infrastructural facilities, and employ staff.
• It determines the standards for teacher education qualifications, criteria for admission, examination, and schemes for courses and training.
• It provides guidelines for tuition fees and other fees that recognised institutions can charge accordingly.
• It encourages and conducts research activities across different areas of teacher education, such as inclusive teaching techniques, the use of technology in education, evaluation methods, pedagogical practices, etc.
• The council examines and reviews the implementation of the guidelines, norms, and standards and makes appropriate recommendations.
• It monitors and evaluates teacher education and training institutes, helping to ensure they comply with the norms and standards. This is a quality assurance mechanism that helps to necessitate that institutes prioritise quality over profit, preventing the commercialisation of teacher education.
• The NCTE has made it compulsory for recognised institutes to submit Performance Appraisal Reports (PAR), which provide detailed institutional information, including infrastructure, faculty qualifications, and infrastructure.

NCTE-recognised programs are as follows

• DPSE (Diploma in Pre-school Education) makes the educator eligible to teach the students who are in preschool.
• D.El.Ed (Diploma in Elementary Education) and B.EL.ED (Bachelor in Elementary Education) prepare individuals to become elementary teachers.
• B.Ed (Bachelor in Education Degree) and M.Ed (Master in Education Degree) prepare individuals to teach secondary and higher secondary level students and pursue advanced study in education, respectively.
• D.P.Ed (Diploma in Physical Education) is a diploma program that has been designed to prepare individuals to pursue a career in physical education.
• B.P.Ed (Bachelor in Physical Education Degree) is an undergraduate degree program that prepares individuals for careers in sports, physical education, and related fields.

Organisation Structure of NCTE

• The Head of the Council
• Executive Committee—Implements the standard norms and guidelines
• Regional Committee—Ensures the on-ground implementation of the regulation; for instance, it coordinates with NCTE headquarters to organise meetings, workshops, and other programs at the regional level.
• Appeal Committee—Hears and decides the appeals that the teacher education institutes have presented regarding the decisions that the NCTE or the regional committee has made.
• Inspection Committee—Conducts on-site inspections to assess several institutional factors such as infrastructure, faculty qualifications, curriculum implementation, availability of teaching and learning resources, etc.
• Visiting Committee—Performs the same functions as the Inspection Committee; however, the Visiting Committee carries out special evaluations or reviews while ensuring that institutes practice quality checks.

Recent Developments of 2025

The National Council for Teacher Education has announced one-year Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) and Master of Education (M.Ed) programs will return from the academic session 2026-27. This is a major policy shift that reverses the 2014 regulations that extend these courses up to two years.

Eligibility Criteria

Candidates who have completed either a four-year undergraduate or a post-graduate programme are eligible for the one-year B.Ed course. Individuals with a three-year graduation degree must complete a two-year B.Ed. program.

M.Ed Programme

The re-introduced M.Ed. program will be a one-year full-time regular program, while the existing two-year M.Ed. program will continue but in a part-time format for those who are working professionals, such as education administrators and teachers.

Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP)

The ITEP, a four-year teacher education program (BA B.Ed/B.Sc B.Ed/B.Com B.Ed), which has been introduced in 57 institutes in 2023-24, will become a mainstream course from 2025-26. Furthermore, the 2025-26 academic session will include four specialised ITEP programs in yoga, physical education, Sanskrit education, and art education.