What is the full form of D.Ed and how is it different from B.Ed?

D.Ed stands for Diploma in Education — most commonly issued today as D.El.Ed (Diploma in Elementary Education). It is a two-year diploma that qualifies you to teach at the primary level (Classes 1–5) in Indian schools.

D.Ed / D.El.Ed vs B.Ed at a glance

	D.Ed / D.El.Ed	B.Ed
Full form	Diploma in Elementary Education	Bachelor of Education
Level	Diploma	Bachelor's degree
Duration	2 years	2 years
Entry	After 12th (50%+)	After graduation (50%+)
Qualifies for	Classes 1–5 (PRT)	Classes 6–12 (TGT / PGT)
CTET paper	Paper I	Paper II

Which one should you do?

• Want to teach at primary level (Classes 1–5)? D.El.Ed is the direct, cheaper, post-12th route.
• Want to teach at secondary or senior secondary (Classes 6–12)? You need a graduation degree plus B.Ed.
• Want to teach at both? Do D.El.Ed first, then graduation + B.Ed later.

D.El.Ed is regulated by NCTE and is mandatory for government primary teacher recruitment in most states. See the B.Ed full form explainer for the graduate pathway.