PRAYAGRAJ, Dec. 27 -- As many as 32,192 assistant teachers appointed to government-run primary schools in Uttar Pradesh on the basis of a BEd degree have applied for the six-month bridge course offered by the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), officials said.

The deadline for application has been extended from December 25, 2025 to January 19, 2026 to allow more eligible in-service primary teachers covered under the Supreme Court's April 8, 2024 order to enrol in the mandatory programme, said Alok Kumar Gupta, deputy director of the capacity building cell at the NIOS headquarters in Noida.

By December 25, a total of 56,072 teachers from 36 states and union territories had applied for the course, with Uttar Pradesh accounting fo...