In Brief
In-service teachers appointed on or before 10th August 2017 who completed the 18-month Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed.) through NIOS under ODL mode before 1st April 2019 are valid diploma holders and must be treated on par with 2-year D.El.Ed. holders for recruitment, promotion, and institutional transfer. The 18-month programme was a one-time regulatory window created to allow existing in-service teachers to acquire minimum qualifications before a statutory deadline to avoid dismissal. The Supreme Court quashed the High Court's blanket ban on NIOS 18-month graduates from 2022 recruitment onwards, holding that such bans incorrectly extended the limited scope of the NCTE Recognition Order. Fresh candidates not in service on 10th August 2017 must still possess a 2-year D.El.Ed. in accordance with NCTE's original regulations.
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