Understanding the B.Ed. versus D.El.Ed. debate

The recent judgement by the Supreme Court of India on 11th August 2023 will have a great impact on whether B.Ed. qualified teachers can apply for the position of Primary teachers (PRT). All eyes are now on the NCTE (National Council for Teacher Education) and the KVS (Kendriya Vidhyalaya Sangathan) to see how they will respond to this judgement. 

 What is the difference between D.El.Ed and B.Ed.? 

 All states in India do not follow a uniform teacher-training programme and so, the D.El.Ed. goes by other names such as the BTC (Basic Teacher Certificate) and also BSTC (Basic School Teacher Certificate). 

For the purpose of this article, I will call all the primary school teacher qualifications as D.El.Ed. In the real-world, the other courses will have to be D.El.Ed. equivalent as approved by the NCTE. 

 The full form of  D.El. Ed is  Diploma in Elementary Education and it is an NCTE approved two-year Diploma making a person eligible to teach in the primary sections of the school. The qualifying exam for D.El.Ed is the Class 12 (higher secondary exam). 

 The full form of B.Ed. is Bachelors in Education and it is a Degree Course though the minimum qualification for taking up B.Ed. is a three year graduation. A B.Ed. degree qualifies one to teach up to Class 12. 

How does this difference in teacher qualification matter? 

Thus, a B.Ed. is also a graduate while a D.El.Ed. need not be a graduate. Mostly, they have completed their 12th and then done the Diploma. 

 Though it is generally accepted that B.Ed. is more suited for secondary education, there has been no bar on a B.Ed. applying for a primary school teacher’s post. Many schools prefer a more qualified teacher (read - a graduate) at the primary level. 

Some schools recommend a 6-month bridge course for the B.Ed. teacher to learn the pedagogy specific to primary school children. 

 That was until now: 

 The Supreme Court, in its judgement given has sided with the D.El.Ed. and decreed that those teachers with B.Ed. cannot be eligible for a PRT appointed. 

What is the history behind this judgement? 

 As per a notification given by NCTE on 28-06-2018, B.Ed. qualified teachers were made eligible for appointment to PRT posts. This was because the KVS was not getting ‘quality primary school teachers’ among the D.El.Ed.s  and wanted better qualified teachers in order to maintain the high quality in the KVS schools.  

 However, immediately after this notification was released, the Rajasthan TET results were declared and Rajasthan State Education Board had taken the stand where they had left out the names of B.Ed. qualified teachers from the PRT post. 

 This decision was challenged by an applicant - Devesh Sharma - in the Rajasthan High Court. Mr. Sharma was a qualified B. Ed. and he argued that the decision of the RTET was opposed to the NCTE notification given.  

 Subsequently, writ petitions were file in the Rajasthan High Court by persons who represented the D.El.Ed. side and who argued that the NCTE notification was invalid and must be revoked. 

 All these petitions were then taken up by the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court gave its decision on 11-08-2023 in favour of the D.El.Ed. This effectively means that B.Ed. applicants cannot apply for appointment to PRT posts.

 Arguments given by the Supreme Court 

 Broadly, the SC gave the following two arguments - 

1.  Since the way a child is taught (pedagogy) is distinctly different in the younger years than in older children, it was seen that the D.El.Ed. caters both to the primary school curriculum and pedagogy and so should get a clear path to teach them. The B.Ed. curriculum does not teach nor train in primary school subjects or pedagogy. 

2.  The requirement for a 6-month bridge course is admission enough that the B.Ed. curriculum does not incorporate primary school pedagogy. 

 Impact on PRT appointments 

 All eyes are now on the KVS PRT results. The exams for the PRT post were held in February 2023 and the results are expected soon. In view of the Supreme Court’s Judgement, these results are going to be extremely significant for future appointments for teachers. 

 FAQs 

 Q: Does the SC Judgement say anything about the appointments already made? 

 A: No, the judgement does not use the words retrospect nor prospect and hence, the appointments already made do not seem to be affected. 

Q: Can a B.Ed qualified teacher apply for a PRT post now? 

A: The KVS leads school education in India and this is why the next move by KVS (declaration of results) becomes so important. 

Q: What about teachers working in private schools? 

A: The appointment of teachers in a private school should not be affect, at least in the near future, as these appointments are given by the school trustee/ management. However, in the long run, one needs to see.