Strengthening Education Systems: Lessons from China’s Teacher Development Initiatives

Inspiring Educational Reform: China's Efforts to Build a High-Quality Teaching Workforce

China has issued a landmark document committing to the development of a high-quality teaching workforce to enhance its educational advancement. The guideline, released by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, aims to strengthen the professional teaching force. Wang Jiayi, the vice-minister of education, emphasized the critical role of teacher development as China transitions from an educational powerhouse to a global leader in education. With around 18.92 million educators, China supports the largest education system in the world. The guideline sets goals for the next three to five years, focusing on significant progress in establishing a professional teaching force by enhancing teachers' moral standards, professionalism, and dedication to education.

By 2035, the spirit of educators is expected to be a key focus within the teaching community, alongside the modernization of the governance system for teachers. This vision emphasizes the crucial role of digital tools in enhancing teacher development, aiming to position teaching as one of the most respected professions in China. The new policy prioritizes ethical standards and promotes self-discipline among teachers, with a "zero tolerance" stance on violations of ethical codes. It seeks to improve teachers' professional skills, academic capabilities, and their overall ability to educate and inspire students. Additionally, the policy calls for better management and allocation of teacher resources to foster educational leaders. Comprehensive measures are being implemented to protect teachers' legal rights, improve their working conditions, and ensure fair rewards for their contributions. To attract top talent to the profession, initiatives such as tuition-free teacher education, targeted training programs, and partnerships with prestigious universities are currently underway. 

Since 2007, China has offered free education to students in teacher-training programs at six major universities, including Beijing Normal University and East Normal University in Shanghai. These students are exempt from tuition and accommodation fees and receive living allowances. In 2018, the initiative shifted to a publicly funded education model, reducing the required service period after graduation from ten years to six, benefiting approximately 167,000 students, according to Wang Jiayi. The outstanding teacher training program, launched in 2021, aims to prepare undergraduate teachers for less-developed regions, including former poverty-stricken counties and border areas. Over the past four years, 45,000 students have enrolled in this program, significantly enhancing the quality of teaching in those areas.
The national excellence program began supporting 30 elite universities, such as Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Fudan University, in training graduate-level teachers for primary and secondary schools. From 6,300 applicants, 1,600 teachers were recruited, all holding master's or doctoral degrees, primarily in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics fields. In 2024, 13 additional universities joined the teacher training program, including two from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. By expanding these initiatives, China aims to cultivate exceptional teachers who will support the country’s educational goals and develop a committed teaching workforce.

Yu Weiyue, director of the Ministry of Education's Department of Teacher Education, highlighted the importance of strengthening training for teachers in basic education to position China as a global leader in education. Currently, there are 16.84 million primary and secondary school teachers in China, accounting for 89 percent of the total teaching staff. To meet the diverse needs of teachers at various stages of their careers, China has established a national training system requiring all primary and secondary school teachers to complete 360 hours of training every five years. This system is supported by a collaborative network of universities, municipal and county teacher development institutions, and professional training organizations.

The ministry has initiated programs to guide local innovations in training methods, with a focus on subjects like arts, physical education, and mental health education. Additionally, leading educators and school principals have received advanced training in countries such as Singapore and Finland. In 2022, the ministry launched the "teacher development" section of the National Smart Education Platform, facilitating 61 million online training sessions and creating 225 workshops led by top educators, benefiting nearly 100,000 teachers.

Pilot projects in 103 schools are investigating the impact of artificial intelligence and other technologies on teacher development. Yu Weiyue noted that training efforts are prioritizing educators in underdeveloped regions, improving local teacher training quality through partnerships between high-level universities and weaker institutions. The special post program has successfully recruited 1.15 million teachers for over 30,000 rural schools across 22 provinces. The government provides living allowances averaging 400 yuan ($56.30) per month to around 1.3 million rural teachers and has invested over 281 billion yuan in housing for these educators. The ministry plans to enhance support for young rural teachers by improving their working conditions and increasing the annual subsidy under the special post program by 3,600 yuan per person.

To reduce the burden of noneducational tasks on teachers, the ministry has launched a campaign to restrict such activities in schools. Local authorities are encouraged to set standards to differentiate between educational and noneducational activities. Provinces have published a white list of approved activities to ensure integration with curriculum-related teaching. Zhang Zhiyong, a professor at Beijing Normal University, emphasized the importance of addressing the decline in China’s school-age population and urban migration trends. He suggested that building a high-quality teaching workforce requires a focus on personalized education and the comprehensive development of students, advocating for more professional teachers with bachelor's and master's degrees to enhance educator qualifications.

Editor’s Note:

China has made a significant commitment to developing a high-quality teaching workforce through a newly released guideline by the Central Committee of the Communist Party and the State Council. This initiative underscores the importance of teachers’ development by enhancing their moral standards, professional development, and ethical practices, and improving working conditions and legal protections. Since 2007, the country has provided free education for teacher-training students at major universities, and recent programs aim to attract top talent by offering reduced service requirements and targeted training. Notably, initiatives like the national excellence program are fostering partnerships with elite universities to enhance teacher quality, particularly in underdeveloped regions.
To address the diverse training needs of educators, a national system mandates 360 hours of training every five years, supported by a collaborative network of educational institutions. Additionally, the ministry is exploring the use of technology in teacher development while implementing measures to alleviate noneducational burdens on teachers. 

Skoobuzz appreciates China’s ongoing efforts to enhance its educational system through the development of a high-quality teaching workforce and hopes that this move will inspire other nations to strengthen their educational systems at the grassroots level.