Prayagraj: The Diploma in Elementary Education (DElEd) programme is seeing a steady drop in interest among aspirants from Uttar Pradesh, even as applications from other states continue to rise.The DElEd programme, earlier known as the Basic Training Certificate (BTC), is a two-year diploma that qualifies candidates to teach in govt-run primary and upper primary schools. Data from the Examination Regulatory Authority (ERA), Uttar Pradesh, shows that while 34,124 candidates from outside the state applied for DElEd in 2024, the number increased to 37,333 in 2025. In contrast, enrolment from within UP dropped sharply. Around 1,91,162 candidates secured admission in 2024, but the number fell to 95,817 in 2025, filling only about 40% of the available seats. For the 2025 academic session, a total of 2,39,500 seats were offered across the state, including 10,600 seats in 67 District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs) and 2,28,900 seats in private and minority colleges. Of these, 10,309 seats were in minority institutions. Officials said nearly 30% of the admissions this year, which comes to around 29,000 seats, were filled by candidates from states like Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan. Experts attribute the decline to limited employment opportunities, pointing out that there has been no fresh teacher recruitment in govt primary and upper primary schools since 2018. Shifting career preferences among young candidates are also being seen as a contributing factor. Secretary, ERA, Anil Bhushan Chaturvedi, said the 2025 admission process concluded on March 28 with a total of 95,817 trainees enrolled.
