Teachers and school heads have a fresh batch of free online training to sign up for. CBSE has asked all affiliated schools to get their staff enrolled in the NISHTHA Courses for 2026-27 Cycle 1, run by CIET-NCERT. The enrolment window shuts on 31 August 2026, so schools that want their teachers on board need to move before then.
NISHTHA, short for National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement, is a Ministry of Education programme that offers online professional development to teachers and heads of schools. This round covers two tracks: Category II (Proficiency Courses) and Category III (Advanced Courses), running through cycle 1 from April to October 2026.
What the CBSE NISHTHA Courses 2026-27 offer
The courses on offer split by category and by who they are meant for.
NISHTHA Category II (Proficiency Courses) are for all School Heads and Teachers of the Foundational and Preparatory stage, that is up to grade 5:
- NISHTHA FLN
- NISHTHA ECCE
NISHTHA Category III (Advanced Courses) are open to all School Heads and Teachers:
- Cyber Hygiene Practices: Personal Digital Devices
- Environmental Hazards of Electronic Waste (E-waste)
- Action Research
- Catch the Rain (English)
- Catch the Rain (Hindi)
Key dates for enrolment
| What | Date |
|---|---|
| Enrolment closing date | 31 August 2026 |
| Course closing date | 15 Sept., 2026 |
Both dates apply across all the courses listed above. Miss the 31 August cut-off and the enrolment door closes; the courses themselves stay open for completion until 15 September 2026.
How to join
The full list of courses and joining details is on the CIET-NCERT portal. Teachers can browse and enrol through the link https://ciet.ncert.gov.in/NISHTHA_Courses.
Stuck somewhere in the process? The NISHTHA helpdesk can be reached by email at nishtha.helpdesk@ciet.nic.in, and the NISHTHA Toll-Free Number is 8800440559.
CBSE has told principals and heads of affiliated schools to spread the word and push their teachers to take up these courses. For teachers of the early grades, the FLN and ECCE modules line up with the foundational literacy and numeracy push; for everyone else, the Category III set runs from cyber hygiene to water conservation. Schools that want their staff counted this cycle should get the enrolments done well before 31 August 2026.