NTT Course: Nursery Teacher Training, Fees, D.El.Ed and Jobs

An NTT course trains you to teach small children in nursery, playgroup, LKG and UKG. NTT means Nursery Teacher Training. If you are patient, enjoy being with children aged 3 to 6 and want a teaching career that starts after class 12, the NTT course is one of the quickest routes. This page explains what the course covers, how it differs from D.El.Ed, ECCE and Montessori training, the duration, fees, entrance tests and the jobs you can get.

Before anything else, one rule that saves students money and years: for a government teaching post, your diploma must come from an institute recognised by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE). Many private "NTT certificates" are not NCTE recognised. They may help in a private play school, but not in a sarkari bharti.

NTT course kya hota hai: the basics

Nursery teacher training teaches you how young children grow, think and learn, and how to teach them through play, stories, rhymes, art and simple activities instead of heavy textbooks. You learn to manage a class of small children, keep them safe and healthy, talk to parents and track each child's progress.

The recognised form of this training is NCTE's diploma for pre-school teachers, often called the Diploma in Pre-School Education or a diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education. Different states and institutes use different names: NTT, ECCE course, pre-primary teacher training. What matters is the recognition, not the name on the board.

NTT, ECCE, D.El.Ed, BTC and Montessori: which is which

Students mix up these names all the time. Here is the difference in one table.

You will see D.El.Ed spelt many ways online: deled course, D El Ed course, DElEd or the old BTC course. All mean the same 2 year diploma.

So if your goal is a government primary school teacher job, the D.El.Ed course is the main path, followed by CTET or a state TET. If you want to teach nursery and pre-primary children, the NTT or ECCE diploma is the right one. Courts have held that B.Ed is not the right qualification for primary teacher posts, which makes D.El.Ed even more important for classes 1 to 5. For teaching higher classes, see the B.Ed course.

NTT course duration and eligibility

The NCTE recognised nursery teacher training course duration is usually 2 years after class 12. Short NTT course online programmes or 6 month and 1 year certificates also exist, but they are mostly private and are not accepted for government posts.

• Qualification: class 12 pass in any stream. NCTE norms generally ask for at least 50% marks, with relaxation for reserved categories as per government rules.
• Age: usually 17 years or more at admission; upper limits, if any, are set by the state.
• D.El.Ed: the D.El.Ed course duration is also 2 years, with the same class 12 and 50% marks rule.

Anyone, boy or girl, can join. In practice, most nursery teachers are women, but more men are now joining early childhood teaching too.

NTT course subjects and lesson plans

A 2 year pre-school diploma usually covers these areas:

• Child development and child psychology from birth to age 8
• Early childhood care, health, nutrition and safety
• Play based learning, language, early reading and number activities
• Art, music, movement, storytelling and teaching aids
• Working with parents and the community, and inclusive education
• School internship in a pre-school or nursery class

A big part of your marks comes from practical work. A lesson plan for NTT course practicals is a short, written plan for one activity: the aim (for example, "children can count objects up to 5"), the material (beads, picture cards), the steps (warm-up rhyme, demonstration, group activity, closing song) and how you will check learning. You prepare many such plans during internship and teach them under a supervisor. Keep them simple, play based and around 20 to 30 minutes long, because small children cannot sit still longer.

D El Ed entrance exam and NTT admission

Admission rules depend on the state and the course.

• D.El.Ed: some states hold a D.El.Ed entrance exam, while others admit on class 12 merit. Rajasthan and Bihar, for example, have run entrance tests for D.El.Ed, while Uttar Pradesh has admitted students on merit. The deled entrance exam syllabus is usually general knowledge, reasoning, a language (Hindi or English), teaching aptitude and class 10 level maths and science.
• NTT or ECCE: most institutes admit on class 12 marks. A few states run a common admission process for pre-school teacher diplomas.

The deled exam form, dates and the result are announced only on the official state website, usually that of the SCERT, the state board or the exam regulatory authority. Questions like "D.El.Ed ka exam kab hoga" have one honest answer: watch that website. If you are looking for an NTT course in Rajasthan, Haryana or any other state, ask the institute for its NCTE recognition order and check it on the NCTE website before paying.

NTT course fees and Montessori course fees

Government institutes cost much less than private ones. The D El Ed course fees in government DIETs are the lowest, but seats are limited. Montessori course fees and Montessori teacher training course fees depend on the city and the duration. Before you pay for any Montessori training course, ask whether the certificate is recognised by the schools you want to work in.

Jobs after the NTT course and D.El.Ed

• Nursery teacher jobs in private schools and play schools: the most common route. Fresher pay is often around ₹8,000 to ₹18,000 a month in small towns and higher in big cities and large schools. With 5 to 8 years of experience and good communication skills, pay can rise to about ₹20,000 to ₹35,000.
• Montessori teacher jobs: similar to nursery teaching, in schools that follow the Montessori method. Montessori teacher salary is in the same broad range and depends on the school.
• Government pre-primary posts: some states and union territories recruit nursery or pre-primary teachers and ask for an NCTE recognised pre-school diploma. Delhi's nursery teacher posts are one example. Rules differ, so read each notification.
• Government primary teacher: needs D.El.Ed plus CTET or the state TET. Central primary teacher posts in Kendriya Vidyalayas are at Level 6, basic ₹35,400; state posts follow state pay scales. See government teacher and CTET and TET.
• Anganwadi and early childhood programmes: an ECCE background helps in pre-school education work. See anganwadi worker.
• Your own play school or tuition centre: many trained teachers start small at home after a few years of experience.

The D.El.Ed job salary in a government school is far better than private nursery pay, which is why many students do both: teach in a private school and prepare for TET and state teacher exams.

Higher study after NTT or D.El.Ed

Finish graduation (regular or distance) along with your job. After graduation you can do a B.Ed for higher classes, and later an M.Ed or a master's degree for teacher educator and senior roles. Graduates who enjoy working with children can also look at child psychology. See psychology career and courses after 12th arts for degree options.