Lok Sabha Question No. 285 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-02
Subject: Expansion of National Council for Teacher Education
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Tatkare Sunil Dattatrey

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

## DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO:- 285 ANSWERED ON-02/02/2026

## Expansion of National Council for Teacher Education

## 285. Shri Tatkare Sunil Dattatrey:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

(a) the details of steps taken by the Government to expand the human resource and technical expertise of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE);

(b) the details of steps taken by the Government to expand the number of Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) in the country;

(c) the details of steps taken by the Government to ensure more training of primary school teachers for a strong education base in schools across the country;

(d) the details of measures taken to increase the number of teachers in schools managed by the Union Government in the country particularly in the State of Maharashtra;

(e) the details of initiatives taken by the Government to simplify qualification guidelines for teachers  and  provide  flexibility  in  training  along  with  the  status  of  the  Integrated  Teacher Education Programme (ITEP), including the benefits ITEP will provide for teachers;

(f)  the  role  of  District  Institutes  of Education and Training (DIETs) in teacher training and development, as well as the initiatives taken to ensure employment of highly trained personnel in these DIETs; and

(g) the details of measures taken by the Government to ensure quality training is available to teachers working in tribal and rural areas?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

(a) to (e): Expansion of human resource and technical expertise in the National Council for Teacher  Education  (NCTE)  is  undertaken  in  accordance  with  the  applicable  rules  and procedures of the Government based on functional needs of the Council.

In terms of  recommendation  of  NEP  2020, promotion of teacher education within multidisciplinary  institutions,  and  expansion  of  Integrated  Teacher  Education  Programme (ITEP) institutions across the country has been undertaken.

Training of primary school teachers for strengthening the education base is being addressed through  a  combination  of  pre-service  and  in-service  interventions.  Pre-service  teacher education programmes are regulated by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), with emphasis on teacher preparation for the Foundational Stage. In this context, the Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) has been introduced as a four-year integrated degree programme that prepares teachers for school education, including the Foundational Stage, by integrating child development, early childhood care and education, play-based and activitybased pedagogy, and foundational literacy  and  numeracy, along  with early  and  continuous school internships. In addition, the Department of School Education and Literacy has launched a  National  Mission  to  improve  learning  outcomes  through  an  Integrated  Teacher  Training Programme  called the National Initiative for School Heads' and Teachers' Holistic Advancement  (NISHTHA)  under  the  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  of  Samagra  Shiksha. NISHTHA  supports  large-scale  in-service  teacher  capacity  building  and  includes  training modules  for  primary  teachers  focusing  on  pedagogy,  foundational  literacy  and  numeracy, inclusive education and classroom practices, and is implemented in coordination with the States and Union Territories through face-to-face and online modes.

Financial  provision  is  also  provided  under  Samagra  Shiksha  scheme  as  per  state  specific proposals for in-service training of teachers, school Heads, subject teachers, resource persons, master  trainers, Education  Administrators, Teachers  Educators, key  resource persons, induction  training  of  newly  recruited  teachers  including  those  in  rural  and  remote  areas  at elementary and secondary levels through SCERTs and DIETs, as the nodal agencies.

The  Central  Government,  through  the  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  of  Samagra  Shiksha, provides financial assistance to States/UTs to maintain appropriate Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) at various levels of schooling, as per the norms prescribed under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, as amended from time to time.

As per UDISE+ 2024-25, the stage-wise Pupil Teacher Ratio has been reported as 10 at the Foundational stage, 13 at the Preparatory stage, 17 at the Middle stage and 21 at the Secondary stage. Further, the Pupil-Teacher Ratio in the State of Maharashtra, as per the UDISE+ 202425, is 10 at the Foundational stage, 15 at the Preparatory stage, 24 at the Middle stage and 26 at the Secondary stage.

As far as schools under the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) and the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) are concerned, periodic recruitment drives are undertaken to fill vacant teaching posts across the country, including in Kendriya Vidyalayas and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas located in the State of Maharashtra. Deployment of teachers in KVS and NVS schools is carried out based on factors such as student enrolment, sanctioned strength and regional requirements.

In  pursuance  of  the  National  Education  Policy  (NEP),  2020,  NCTE  has  undertaken comprehensive reforms  to  simplify  teacher  qualification  norms  and  introduce  flexibility  in teacher  education  pathways.  The  key  initiative  in  this  regard  is  the  Integrated  Teacher Education Programme (ITEP), which has been introduced as a four-year integrated, practiceoriented degree programme after Grade 12, replacing fragmented teacher education pathways and simplifying entry into the teaching profession. Admission to ITEP is through the National Common  Entrance  Test  (NCET)  conducted  by  the  National  Testing  Agency,  ensuring transparency, merit-based selection and uniform national standards. The programme is aligned with the new 5+3+3+4 school education structure. It integrates disciplinary knowledge with professional knowledge of education, provides flexibility through interdisciplinary combinations, follows a semester and credit framework as per UGC norms, and emphasises extended school internships and community engagement.

Under  PM  e-VIDYA  programme,  which  unifies  all  efforts  related  to  digital/online/on-air education  to  enable  multi-mode  access  to  education,  Digital  Infrastructure  for  Knowledge Sharing (DIKSHA) was launched in 2017 for providing quality e-content for school education in States/UTs along with QR coded Energised Textbooks (ETBs) for all grades (One Nation, One Digital platform). For teachers, DIKSHA contains lesson plans, worksheets and activities, to create enjoyable classroom experiences. Teachers have access to interactive and engaging teaching materials; can share best practices with other teachers to explain difficult concepts to students; join courses to further professional development, etc.

(f)  District  Institutes  of  Education  and  Training  (DIETs)  function  as  key  district-level institutions for pre-service and in-service training and continuous professional development of elementary  and  primary  school  teachers.  DIETs  organise  in-service  training  programmes, undertake district-level educational research, support pedagogical improvement, and provide academic and resource support to schools as well as to BRCs and CRCs. In alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, DIETs are being strengthened under the Centrally Sponsored  Scheme  of  Samagra  Shiksha  to  enhance  their  academic  capacity  and  focus  on foundational literacy and numeracy and inclusive education.

(g) To ensure availability of quality training for teachers working in tribal and rural areas, the curriculum regulated by NCTE places emphasis on multilingual classrooms, local contexts and inclusive education. Digital and blended modes are used to reach remote areas, with a focus on preparing  teachers  for  diverse  socio-cultural  and  geographical  contexts.  For  Continuous Professional Development (CPD) of in-service teachers, including teachers in tribal dominated districts of  the  country,  National  Initiative  for  School  Heads'  and  Teachers'  Holistic Advancement (NISHTHA)  programme  has been initiated. The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has collaborated with the National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS) for conducting regular NISHTHA teacher training and capacity building programmes for teachers of Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) across the country.

<!-- image -->