U.P. govt reopens affiliation process for DElEd colleges after 5 years

PRAYAGRAJ: After a five-year hiatus, the Uttar Pradesh government has announced the reopening of applications for colleges seeking affiliation to offer the Diploma in Elementary Education (DElEd) program for the 2024-25 academic session.

The Examination Regulatory Authority, headquartered in Prayagraj, has issued a notification inviting applications from private DElEd colleges. The last affiliation order was issued in March 2018 for the 2018-19 session.

This development follows the recent rejection of the National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE) notification dated June 28, 2018, by the apex court. The court’s ruling stipulated that only DElEd-trained individuals could participate in the primary teachers’ recruitment process, excluding BEd degree holders. This decision has reignited interest in DElEd among aspiring teachers.

Consequently, even colleges in Uttar Pradesh that had previously shown disinterest in offering the course due to declining applicants are now displaying renewed interest in including DElEd in their curriculum.

Anil Bhushan Chaturvedi, Secretary of the Examination Regulatory Authority, UP, announced that NCTE-approved DElEd training institutes can apply for affiliation for the academic session 2024-25. They must submit their applications at the offices of the principals of their respective District Education and Training Institutes (DIETs) by October 20.

Following on-site inspections, district-level committees will submit their reports to the Examination Regulatory Authority office by November 22.

According to the schedule, a state-level committee established by the government for this purpose will convene by December 12 to consider recommendations. The state government will make a decision regarding these recommendations by January 10. Subsequently, affiliation orders will be issued by January 31, 2024, as per the notification.

DElEd is a two-year diploma program for individuals aspiring to become primary and upper primary school teachers. Currently, DElEd courses are offered by approximately 3,000 private colleges, 67 government-run district institutes of education and training (DIETs), and one College of Teacher Education (CTE) in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

Until 2017, the two-year DElEd course was mandatory for those seeking teaching positions in government-run primary and upper primary schools under the Basic Education Board of the state. However, as of June 28, 2018, BEd was introduced as an optional qualification for these posts, leading to a preference for BEd among candidates. This allowed them to apply for vacancies not only in government-run primary and upper primary schools but also in secondary schools in the state.

However, following the recent Supreme Court decision, BEd candidates are no longer eligible for teaching positions at primary or upper primary schools. Consequently, the popularity of DElEd has surged among aspiring educators.