NCERT announces 40-week online diploma course for middle school science teachers

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has recently made an announcement related to the online diploma course. This course will boost science-related teaching practices required at the middle stage of school education.

The name of the course is ‘Online Diploma Course in Teaching of Science at Middle Stage’ and will be held fully in the online mode for a duration of forty weeks. The NCERT programme has been created in such a way that it can help teachers to improve their teaching practices and develop a deeper understanding of science education.

Registration for the course will start from October 12, 2026. All interested candidates can submit their online applications by November 12, 2026. The online diploma course will start on November 16.

Also Read | Pralhad Joshi asks NCERT to become innovative, inclusive, future-ready at 66th foundation day celebrations

NCERT online diploma course details

The programme will be delivered in online mode, which will allow participants so that they can finish the programme remotely. The enrolment fee for the forty-week course is Rs 2,000. The programme will focus on improving science teaching for middle school students. 

This course will be ideal for educators who teach science to students in classes 6 to 8. It will enhance teaching practices and boost participants’ understanding of how science can be taught to school students.

Interested candidates can send their queries to ncertx@gmail.com for more information about the programme. They can send emails for details regarding eligibility and registration. Below are some of the topics which will be covered during the course:

• What is Science?
• How is Knowledge Built in Science?
• How Children Learn?
• Engaging Children in Active Learning
• Teaching Learning Strategies
• Assessment in Science
• Physical and Chemical Changes
• Acids, Bases and Salts
• Metals and Non-Metals
• Combustion and Oxidation
• Getting Inside the Atoms and Molecules
• Motion
• Force
• Fluid Pressure
• Density and Flotation
• Energy
• Heat and Temperature

Also Read | NCERT says Class 9 Maths syllabus retains topics, adds algorithms to build AI understanding

Goals of the NCERT online cours

Below are some of the main objectives of the course as outlined by NCERT.

• Help teachers become effective in their teaching skills
• Deepen the subject knowledge in science beyond the elementary level
• Help teachers understand how to teach science and make lesson plans
• Guide teachers on how to use discussion, questions and activities to develop students’ critical thinking.
• Help teachers use examples from everyday life and the world around them to explain science concepts
• Show teachers how they can encourage questions and guide students to analyse ideas
• Tell teachers to plan individual and group activities 

The course will support teachers’ ability to teach better for middle school students.