The curriculum for the English subject in the Diploma in Elementary Education (DElEd) programme—offered in 67 district institutes of Education and Training (DIETs) and 2,974 private colleges across Uttar Pradesh—is set to be revamped in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Subject specialists from the Prayagraj-based English Language Teaching Institute (ELTI) have begun work on this overhaul, officials informed.
The DElEd is a two-year diploma programme designed for candidates aspiring to become teachers in primary and upper primary schools. Its popularity is evident from the 3,25,440 applications received for admission to the 2024 session, according to data from the Exam Regulatory Authority, Uttar Pradesh, headquartered in Prayagraj.
English is taught in the second and fourth semesters of the DElEd programme. The current English curriculum was last developed by ELTI in 2014, when the course was still known as the Basic Training Certificate (BTC). Since then, the educational landscape has evolved significantly—particularly with the inclusion of pre-primary education under NEP-2020, a component not covered in the existing curriculum, officials explained.
In addition, NCERT textbooks for classes 1 to 3 have already been adapted to meet the specific needs of Uttar Pradesh and integrated into the school curriculum. Plans are in place to extend NCERT books up to class 8 in the near future. These books differ notably in structure and content, necessitating distinct teaching strategies and customised practice workbooks, they added.
{{/usCountry}}In addition, NCERT textbooks for classes 1 to 3 have already been adapted to meet the specific needs of Uttar Pradesh and integrated into the school curriculum. Plans are in place to extend NCERT books up to class 8 in the near future. These books differ notably in structure and content, necessitating distinct teaching strategies and customised practice workbooks, they added.
{{/usCountry}}“The English curriculum for DElEd is being comprehensively revised in accordance with NEP-2020. The previous version, created in 2014, no longer meets current educational demands. With the inclusion of NCERT textbooks and a shift in teaching methods, updating the syllabus has become essential. Feedback from trainees has been instrumental in shaping these changes,” said Skand Shukla, principal of ELTI-Prayagraj, a unit of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Uttar Pradesh.
In response to these developments, the new English curriculum will be aligned with the updated school education system to ensure DElEd trainees gain relevant skills and competencies. The revised course will also feature components on artificial intelligence (AI) and language learning, along with the application of computer, information, and communication technologies in English language teaching.
Crucially, feedback from DIET trainees has been incorporated to ensure the curriculum revision reflects their actual learning needs and challenges, Shukla added.
In another key development, for the first time, the Rajya Hindi Sansthan, Varanasi, has developed official Hindi textbooks for all four semesters of the DElEd programme. Previously, students lacked access to authentic learning materials in Hindi and had to rely on guides or unauthorised publications, officials acknowledged.