NCTE launches four-year Integrated Teacher Education Programme in 57 institutions

NEW DELHI: The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) has launched the Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) in 57 Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) for the academic session 2023-24 throughout the country. The National Testing Agency (NTA) will carry out the admission through the National Common Entrance Test (NCET).

This is a flagship programme of NCTE under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. ITEP is a four-year dual-major holistic undergraduate degree offering BA BEd, BSc BEd and BCom BEd. This course will prepare teachers for the four stages of the new school structure: foundational, preparatory, middle and secondary (5+3+3+4). The programme is being offered in pilot mode initially in reputed central, state government universities or institutions.

ITEP will be available for all students who choose teaching as a profession after secondary, by choice. This integrated course will benefit students since they will save one year by finishing the course in four years rather than the customary five years required by the present BEd plan.

ITEP will not only impart cutting-edge pedagogy but will also establish a foundation in early childhood care and education (ECCE), foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN), inclusive education and an understanding of India and its values, ethos, art, traditions, among others.

“The course will contribute substantially to the revitalization of the whole teacher education sector. The prospective teachers passing out of this course through a multi-disciplinary environment, grounded in Indian values and traditions will be instilled with the needs of 21st century global standards and, hence, will be the harbingers in shaping the future of New India,” said an official statement.