PRAYAGRAJ, March 21 -- The English syllabus in the Diploma in Elementary Education (DElEd) programme in Uttar Pradesh is set for its first revision in nearly a decade. Experts from the Prayagraj-based English Language Teaching Institute (ELTI) have designed an updated curriculum aligning it with contemporary educational needs, making it more relevant for both trainee teachers and instructors. The revised syllabus will now be submitted to the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) for approval and implementation, officials said. The DElEd programme, earlier known as the Basic Training Certificate (BTC), is a two-year diploma for those aspiring to teach in government primary and upper primary schools. Its popularity is evident from the 1,38,800 applications received for the DElEd 2025 session, according to the Prayagraj-based Exam Regulatory Authority, Uttar Pradesh. English is taught in the second and fourth semesters, and the current syllabus was introduced almost a decade ago. Confirming the update, Skand Shukla, Principal of ELTI-Prayagraj (a unit of SCERT-UP), said the revision follows the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 guidelines on language education. He added that experienced experts, including professors from the University of Allahabad, are overseeing the process to ensure high-quality content. The revised syllabus includes examples from current NCERT textbooks and will be implemented after approval from SCERT. The Uttar Pradesh government is committed to improving English proficiency among students across over 1 lakh Basic Education Council-run primary and upper primary schools, as well as around 30,000 secondary schools covering classes 1 to 12. Parthsarathi Sensharma, additional chief secretary of basic and secondary education, has called for proposals on measures to enhance English skills among students. At the National Conference of Chief Secretaries held in New Delhi from December 26 to 28, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised that teaching in the mother tongue should not come at the expense of English proficiency. He highlighted that while core subjects can be taught in the mother tongue, students must also acquire strong English skills....