“Policy Reversal? Nearly 10 years after the government abolished it, NCTE plans to reintroduce one-year B.Ed and M.Ed programs.”
In a significant policy shift, the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) is set to reintroduce one-year B.Ed and M.Ed programs, nearly a decade after extending their duration to two years. This change, outlined in the 2025 draft regulations, is scheduled to take effect in the 2026-27 academic year, offering shorter pathways into teaching for eligible candidates.
The new regulations, which were approved in a recent NCTE general body meeting, are expected to be made public soon for feedback. The B.Ed and M.Ed programs, which had been one-year courses for decades, were extended to two years in 2014 under the NCTE (Recognition Norms and Procedure) Regulations. These regulations introduced new modules and a 20-week internship in an effort to enhance the quality of teacher education. However, since then, no revisions have been made to the teacher education norms.
The reintroduction of the one-year programs doesn’t mean the two-year versions are being phased out. According to Pankaj Arora, Chairman of NCTE, the one-year M.Ed program will be full-time, with a part-time two-year M.Ed option available for working professionals such as teachers and education administrators.
Under the new draft regulations, only those who have completed a four-year undergraduate degree or a postgraduate program will be eligible for the one-year B.Ed course. Candidates with a three-year undergraduate degree will continue with the two-year B.Ed program.
The two-year M.Ed program, introduced in 2015, has seen challenges in promoting teacher education, with many institutions facing vacant seats and curriculum issues. The revamped M.Ed program will include a research component, fieldwork, and community engagement to better support the development of teacher education.
This move aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which supports a one-year master’s degree at Level 6.5 in the National Higher Education Qualifications Framework. The Integrated Teacher Education Program (ITEP), a four-year program (BA/B.Ed, B.Sc/B.Ed, B.Com/B.Ed), was introduced in 2023-24 and will become a regular program starting in the 2025-26 academic year. Additionally, four specialized ITEP programs—Yoga, Physical Education, Sanskrit Education, and Art Education—will be offered.
The 2014 regulations also allowed for a three-year integrated B.Ed-M.Ed program, though no decision has been made on this yet. According to Arora, the aim is to provide appropriate teaching programs at different stages: ITEP after class 12, the two-year B.Ed after a three-year degree, and the one-year B.Ed after a four-year degree or post-graduation.
These programs will also reflect the new structure of school education under NEP, with specializations in foundational, preparatory, middle, and secondary school levels. The goal is to ensure that anyone at any stage who wishes to enter the teaching profession can access an appropriate pathway.
Source: The Indian Express