‘Govt Betrayed Us’: Bihar Teachers Demand Validation of Diploma

The NCTE has deemed the 18-month diploma in elementary education (DLED) invalid for teachers’ recruitment two years after recognising the program.

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The Bihar government, after the consultation with National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE), has told the teachers trained under the DLED program that they are not eligible to apply for government teaching jobs in the state as they have deemed the course invalid.

The NCTE has deemed the 18-month diploma in elementary education (DLED) invalid for teachers' recruitment two years after recognising the program.

The diploma was recognised by NCTE for training unskilled teachers. The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) conducted the course for at least 13 lakh unskilled teachers.

'We're in A Lurch'

Arti Kumari, a teacher at a private school, trained under the diploma program but was told that it is invalid when she went to apply for a government teaching job.

"The problem is that the government is not considering the degree of DLED as valid and that's the reason we're not able to apply," Arti said.

'Govt Betrayed Us'

Subhash Chandra, also a teacher in a private school, told The Quint, "I thought that in the future I will get a government job and I will be able to feed and support my family and children. The government has betrayed us."

Why is Bihar Govt Deeming It Invalid?

The Bihar government said that it consulted NCTE to review whether the teachers trained under DLED are eligible for a government teaching job or not.

"The NCTE said that it is invalid because the degree course was for 18 months. But the reality is that the then-HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar passed a bill and it was sort of a 'dream project' for the government to train the unskilled teachers," said Umesh Giri, another applicant who was trained under the program.

The affected teachers have complained to the Ministry of HRD and NCTE and Bihar’s Education Minister Krishna Nandan Verma but their efforts have been in vain.

“The government should validate our degree as soon as possible otherwise we will launch protests on a large scale.”

Sonu Kumar, DLED Diploma Holder

(With inputs from Umesh Kumar Roy)