Overview
- The Ministry of Education launched the Primary Teacher Education Bridge Course on Thursday, September 17, 2026, and opened online admissions through the NIOS bridge portal for eligible teachers.
- The programme is aimed at in‑service teachers who hold a B.Ed and were appointed in the window covered by NCTE Gazette protections between June 28, 2018 and August 11, 2023.
- The six‑month certificate combines six theory courses with a mandatory school practicum and specifies at least 10 days of online contact classes and at least 20 days of school‑based experience.
- NIOS will deliver the course in an open and distance learning mode with digital self‑learning material, videos and interactive resources, instruction in Hindi and English, and theory exams permitted in any of the 22 scheduled languages.
- The course responds to a Supreme Court direction of April 8, 2024 that empowered NCTE to design a bridge pathway; NCTE framed the syllabus and the ministry says completion is required to regularise affected appointments though the bridge will not serve as a fresh‑hire qualification.