Teacher Capacity Building | Ministry of Education

NISHTHA Teacher Training Programme: Courses, DIKSHA, FLN, ECCE & 2026 Updates

NISHTHA-National Initiative for School Heads' and Teachers' Holistic Advancement-is the Ministry of Education's integrated teacher-capacity-building programme for improving school education through competency-based pedagogy, inclusive classrooms, experiential learning, school leadership and continuous professional development.

Updated: 5 September 2026

Current position: NISHTHA continues as a national teacher-development initiative. Current Ministry of Education material identifies active streams for Elementary, Secondary, Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN), Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), and Educational Technology, with online courses delivered by NCERT through the DIKSHA platform.
Historical context: the original 2019 NISHTHA programme focused on elementary-stage teachers and school heads. Later phases expanded the programme to secondary education, FLN, ECCE, inclusive education, educational technology and other professional-development areas.

What is NISHTHA?

NISHTHA was launched in August 2019 under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha to improve learning outcomes through integrated teacher training.

The programme was originally designed to build the competencies of elementary teachers, school heads, faculty of SCERTs and DIETs, and Block and Cluster Resource Coordinators. It subsequently expanded to additional school stages and specialised training areas.

The programme promotes a shift from rote learning to competency-based, learner-centred, experiential and inclusive teaching practices.

Current NISHTHA Training Streams

Stream Main Focus
NISHTHA Elementary / 1.0 Teachers and school heads at primary and upper-primary levels
NISHTHA Secondary / 2.0 Secondary and senior-secondary teachers and school heads
NISHTHA FLN / 3.0 Foundational Literacy and Numeracy for pre-primary to primary stages
NISHTHA ECCE Early Childhood Care and Education capacity building
NISHTHA Inclusive Education Building teacher capacity to support children with special needs
NISHTHA Educational Technology Technology-enabled teaching, digital pedagogy and classroom integration

Main Objectives of NISHTHA

  • Improve learning outcomes through stronger teacher competencies.
  • Promote competency-based and higher-order-thinking-oriented teaching.
  • Encourage experiential, joyful and activity-based learning.
  • Improve learner-centred pedagogy and inclusive classroom practices.
  • Strengthen school leadership and academic support.
  • Equip teachers to respond to social, emotional and psychological needs of students.
  • Integrate ICT and digital tools into teaching, learning and assessment.
  • Improve school-based assessment and move away from excessive rote learning.
  • Build awareness of school-education schemes, policies and reforms.

Original NISHTHA 1.0 Course Modules

The original elementary-stage NISHTHA package included the following core areas. These remain useful for understanding the programme's foundational design, although current training now includes additional streams and updated content.

  1. Curriculum, learner-centred pedagogy, learning outcomes and inclusive education
  2. Social-personal qualities and safe, healthy school environments
  3. Art-integrated learning
  4. School-based assessment
  5. Health and well-being in schools
  6. Integration of ICT in teaching-learning and assessment
  7. Initiatives in school education
  8. Pedagogy of Environmental Studies
  9. Pedagogy of Mathematics
  10. Pedagogy of Languages
  11. Pedagogy of Science
  12. Pedagogy of Social Sciences
  13. School leadership: concepts and application
  14. Pre-school education
  15. Pre-vocational education
  16. Gender dimensions in teaching and learning
  17. Additional school-education initiatives
  18. Workshop schedule and session design

Expected Outcomes of NISHTHA

  • Improved student learning outcomes.
  • Inclusive, enabling and enriching classroom environments.
  • Teachers better equipped to act as first-level counsellors.
  • Greater use of art, activity and experiential learning.
  • Improved attention to health, safety and well-being.
  • Better integration of ICT into classroom practice.
  • Competency-focused and stress-reducing assessment methods.
  • Stronger school leadership and academic management.
  • Greater awareness of education reforms and public initiatives.

NISHTHA Online Training through DIKSHA

During the COVID period, NISHTHA was expanded through online delivery on the DIKSHA platform. NCERT continues to offer professionally developed NISHTHA e-content and courses through DIKSHA.

Teachers and school heads should use current DIKSHA and NCERT course information because availability, enrolment windows, language options, assessments and certificate conditions can change.

NISHTHA Secondary and FLN

NISHTHA 2.0 - Secondary

NISHTHA 2.0 extended integrated teacher training to secondary and senior-secondary teachers and school heads. It includes generic and subject-specific modules aimed at improving pedagogy, assessment and learner outcomes.

NISHTHA 3.0 - Foundational Literacy and Numeracy

NISHTHA FLN supports the NIPUN Bharat Mission and focuses on teachers and school heads working at foundational and primary stages. Training addresses early language, literacy, numeracy, child development and play/experience-based pedagogy.

NISHTHA ECCE and Inclusive Education

NISHTHA ECCE supports capacity building for Early Childhood Care and Education, including master trainers and functionaries working with young children.

Inclusive-education training strengthens the ability of general teachers and school heads to identify and respond to diverse learning needs, including children with special needs.

NISHTHA Educational Technology

Educational Technology has become an important newer NISHTHA stream. Ministry of Education reporting states that NISHTHA Educational Technology Level 1 moved from pilot implementation to wider rollout, with online courses intended for large-scale teacher coverage.

The programme focuses on using technology effectively in classroom teaching, assessment, professional development and digital content practices rather than treating technology as an end in itself.

NISHTHA under NEP 2020 and Continuous Professional Development

NISHTHA now forms part of the broader teacher professional-development architecture supporting National Education Policy 2020. Current Government material links NISHTHA with competency-based education, learner-centred pedagogy, inclusive classrooms, school leadership and continuous professional development.

NEP-aligned teacher development increasingly uses DIKSHA and other digital platforms for structured professional-learning courses, assessments and certification.

How Teachers Can Access NISHTHA Courses

  1. Open the official DIKSHA portal or app.
  2. Sign in using the current teacher/learner registration method.
  3. Search for NCERT/NISHTHA courses relevant to your school stage or subject.
  4. Check enrolment dates, language, duration, assessment requirements and certificate criteria.
  5. Complete all required modules and assessments.
  6. Download or access the certificate through DIKSHA where certification is provided.

Key Points to Remember

  • NISHTHA began in 2019 as integrated elementary-stage teacher training.
  • It now covers multiple streams, including Elementary, Secondary, FLN, ECCE and Educational Technology.
  • NCERT offers online NISHTHA courses through DIKSHA.
  • The programme supports competency-based, experiential and inclusive education.
  • NISHTHA is aligned with Samagra Shiksha and NEP 2020 teacher-development priorities.
  • Teachers should rely on current DIKSHA/NCERT enrolment information rather than older 2019 training links.