NCTE forms panels to amend teacher recruitment rules for ITEP graduates

The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) has established two expert panels to revise teacher recruitment rules and eligibility guidelines for the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) and State Teacher Eligibility Test (STET). This initiative aims to formally integrate graduates of the four-year Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) into the eligibility criteria for school teaching positions across the country.

The move comes in anticipation of the first batch of ITEP students completing their programme in May-June 2027. Currently, ITEP graduates are not explicitly listed as eligible for teaching posts or for appearing in CTET and STET examinations, despite ITEP being an NCTE-recognised teacher education programme.

Committees Formed to Align Qualifications

The NCTE constituted the first expert committee on October 8, 2026, through an official order. This 12-member committee is chaired by former IAS officer Prof Nirmaljeet Singh Kalsi. Its primary mandate is to review the NCTE’s 2014 regulations concerning minimum qualifications for school teacher recruitment and to prepare a draft amendment to include ITEP as a recognised minimum qualification for teaching posts. The committee was tasked with submitting its draft amendment to the NCTE chairperson within 30 days of the October 8 order, placing its deadline on November 7, 2026.

A second expert committee, a 10-member panel chaired by retired Delhi University professor Chand Kiran Saluja, was constituted on October 12, 2026. This committee is responsible for reviewing existing CTET and STET guidelines. Its recommendations will focus on amending these guidelines to enable ITEP graduates to appear for CTET and STET examinations, covering both primary and upper-primary teaching levels. This panel was asked to submit its recommendations and proposed amendments to the NCTE by October 31, 2026.

The Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP)

The Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) is a four-year integrated teacher training degree introduced after Class 12. It was launched in the 2023-24 academic session, aligning with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The NEP 2020 envisages that a four-year integrated teaching degree will become the minimum qualification for school teachers by 2030.

Currently, 409 higher education institutions have been recognised to offer ITEP, with a combined intake capacity of 38,850 students across 777 units. The proposed amendments will add ITEP to the existing list of recognised qualifications, which includes the Two-year Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed), Four-year Bachelor of Elementary Education (B.El.Ed), Bachelor of Education (B.Ed), and Four-year integrated B.A.Ed and B.Sc.Ed programmes, rather than replacing them.

Written by Nishit Kumar

Nishit Kumar is a senior EdTech industry leader with over a decade of experience in building and scaling education platforms, shaping their product, content, and growth strategy. At FindMyCollege, Nishit oversees content and editorial strategy, guiding topic selection and content frameworks to ensure accuracy, relevance, and student-first value across the website.

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