NCTE Bridge Course: Over 67,000 teachers register but 80% applications await state verification

More than 80% applications for a six-month bridge course mandated by the National Council for Teachers Education (NCTE) remain stuck with state authorities even as registration deadline looms just days away. While men account for 55% of the total number of applicants, the largest share of applications came from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar.

Of the 67,618 teachers who have registered for the bridge course, a staggering 53,924 are pending verification at the state nodal officer level. The situation is particularly grim in Uttar Pradesh where 95% of applications await clearance.

The NCTE-mandated six-months bridge course is being provided by the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) and is mandatory for the in-service teachers to complete it to retain their job.

This course is meant for primary teachers who had been appointed with B.Ed degree, between June 28, 2018, to the date of the Supreme Court judgment dated August 11, 2023, that changed the eligibility criteria for school teachers.

NCTE and NIOS have extended the last date for registration for the course to January 19, 2026.

NCTE bridge course origin

As per the NCTE gazette notification of 2010 and an amendment dated August 28, 2018, notified that the eligibility criteria to teach Classes 1 to 5 included:

• Graduation with at least 50% marks and B.Ed, provided that one has acquired the qualification of B.Ed from any NCTE recognised institution
• Those appointed as primary teachers need to undergo a six-month bridge course in elementary education recognised by the NCTE, within two years of appointment.

Before this notification, only candidates with a Diploma in Elementary Education – the D.El.Ed and equivalent teaching certifications – were eligible to become primary teachers.

In November 2021, the Rajasthan High Court quashed the NCTE notification and held that B.Ed candidates were not eligible to become primary school teachers. This decision was subsequently challenged before the Supreme Court of India.

The apex court vide its judgment dated August 11, 2023 upheld the order of the Rajasthan HC thereby holding that candidates with a B.Ed. degree are not eligible for appointment as school teachers for Classes I to 5.

In April 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that as a large number of candidates with B.Ed degrees had already been appointed on the basis of eligibility criteria prescribed by educational authorities, it would not be "equitable to effect their removal”. So the court ordered NCTE to develop a bridge course, which was notified by the body in April 2025.

The participant teachers shall complete the course within one year. It is a 20-credit course, covering subjects like curriculum, pedagogy, assessment in languages, mathematics and a separate paper on child development and educational psychology.

In 2025, the Supreme Court has mandated that teachers who have more than five years of service remaining should clear the Teachers Eligibility Test (TET). This has been opposed by several states such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

NCTE Bridge Course: 55% men registered

As per the NCTE data, a total of 67,618 candidates have applied for the course. Out of which, 36,840 (54.84%) are men, 30,332 (45.15%) women and six, third gender.

The large number of registration is paid one, constituting 93.72% applications.

Out of the total applications, there are a large number of applications, where the verification is pending at the level of the state nodal officer. A total of 53,924 is pending at the level.

In the six-month bridge course, participants must complete at least 20 teaching days for school experience in a primary school, attend at least 10 days for contact classes and maintain minimum 80% attendance for the school experience component.

Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh with most applications

Uttar Pradesh, by virtue of being the largest state has the most number of applications at 34,371. It is also the state where almost 95% of the application is stuck for approval with the state nodal officer.

NCTE Bridge Course: States, applications, pendency

In the other states, the applications are in the few hundreds only. Interestingly, in Assam the number of unpaid applications is highest at 558 out of the total 920.

The registration fee for the bridge course is Rs 25,000. The exam fee per subject is Rs 600 for theory and Rs 250 for practical.