In a step which would pave the way for the appointment of Diploma in Elementary Education (DElEd) holders from the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) as primary teachers in government schools of Uttarakhand, the State administration has decided to amend the Uttarakhand government elementary education (teacher) service regulation 2012. A proposal in this regard would be brought in the upcoming meeting of the State cabinet. It is learnt that the education department has done the required homework for the amendment which would make the DElEd holders from the NIOS eligible to be recruited as primary teachers. It is pertinent to mention here that in Bihar and West Bengal the State governments have made the NIOS diploma holders eligible to be appointed as primary teachers. At present the DElEd from the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) are eligible for the post of primary teachers in Uttarakhand.

 In September last year the Uttarakhand High Court (HC) had directed the State government to include the NIOS, DElEd holders in the recruitment process of appointment of teachers in the government schools of the state. The HC had also quashed the February 10, 2021 order of the Secretary School education in which the DElEd, NIOS applicants were debarred from the counselling for appointment of primary teachers.

 The education department in the year 2020 had invited applications for 2648 posts of primary teachers. More than 37,000 DElEd holders from the NIOS also applied for these posts along with the Bachelor in Education (BEd) and DElEd holders from the DIETs of the State. On February 10, 2021 the state administration debarred the NIOS applicants from the process. These applicants contested the decision by stating that their diploma is approved by the National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE) and Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD). They also contested the decision in the HC which ruled in their favour. The decision of the HC was not challenged by the State government. The director general (DG) of School education Bansidhar Tiwari told the Pioneer deliberations on the issue are going on in the department.