Chennai: The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) has given colleges a final opportunity to seek approval for the four-year integrated B.Ed. programme mandated under the National Education Policy (NEP).

The integrated programme, combining B.A. or B.Sc. degrees with B.Ed., aims to replace the existing two-year teacher education course for graduate teachers. Applications for the course were initially invited in February, but many institutions did not apply, officials said.

Following a review by the NCTE's high-level committee in July, it was decided to reopen the application process. “Colleges interested in offering the integrated course can apply on the NCTE portal. The application window will remain open for another two weeks,” NCTE Member Secretary Abhilasha Jha Mishra said.

The NEP 2020 envisages that the four-year integrated B.Ed. programme will become the standard for teacher preparation by 2030.