UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

The National Council for Teacher Education is the statutory body responsible for regulating teacher education programmes in India. Any institution wishing to start a B.Ed course must obtain recognition from NCTE to ensure that prescribed norms regarding curriculum, infrastructure, and faculty are met. The stem refers exactly to recognition needed for starting a B.Ed programme, for which NCTE is the competent authority. Therefore, Option A is correct.

Option A:
NCTE issues regulations specifying minimum standards and periodically publishes lists of recognised teacher education institutions. This ensures that teacher preparation meets quality benchmarks necessary for school education systems. These functions align precisely with the situation described in the question.

Option B:
The University Grants Commission oversees universities in general but does not directly grant recognition for individual B.Ed programmes, which is a specialised teacher education domain. Hence, Option B does not adequately answer the stem.

Option C:
AICTE regulates technical and management education and has no mandate over teacher education programmes such as B.Ed. Therefore, Option C is clearly inappropriate in this context.

Option D:
The National Testing Agency conducts entrance examinations but does not regulate or recognise degree programmes. It is unrelated to the recognition of B.Ed courses, making Option D incorrect.