Two Decades of Basic Education in Rural China

106 5 Rural Teacher Issues

5.6 Efficiency and Use of Human Resources

As a result of one-child policy, the school-age population has decreased signifi-
cantly resulting in a surplus of teachers, especially in areas where there has been
out migration. A key issue is how to reasonably redeploy the teaching force and
increase the efficiency of the use of human resources. Our research reveals man-
agement problems in relation to how rural schools have adjusted to changes in

Table 5.4 Major policies on teacher mobility since 1990s
Policy Year Key points
Decision on deepening educational
reform and promote quality education
comprehensively of central committee
of communist party of china and the
state council

1999 Local government should formulate policies

to encourage urban outstanding teachers to

work full time or part time in weak-founda-

tion schools, primary and secondary school

teachers in middle and small size cities or

towns, and to work in rural schools with

shortage of teachers

Announcement on several issues of

strengthening management of school

running in basic education, MOE,

2002

2002 Establishing regular mobility system for

school principals and teachers

Implementing opinions on deepening

reform of personnel system for

primary and secondary schools.

department of personnel and MOE

2003 Section 19 and 21: Establishing service

system for urban teacher to work in rural

schools or weak schools. Insist on that for

promotion of urban teachers to higher grades

they should have one year work experience

in those schools. To develop a system of

support in places where resources are

available. Actively promote reasonable

mobility of primary and secondary staff

9.3.3 Disparities Between Schools

Decisions on further strengthening

rural education, state council

2003 Establishing regular school to school

exchange system by prefectural, city and

county educational administration. Increase

the number of teachers from east part of

China to teach in the west part, west part

teachers to receive training in east part

Several opinions on further promoting

balanced development of compulsory

education, MOE

2005 Taking various effective measures to

establish a system for backbone teachers

in the region to give teaching in service

training, professional teachers in shortage

subjects to provide mobile teaching. Urban

teachers to serve in rural schools

Revised compulsory education act 2006 Section 32: Educational Administration of

county government should deploy teach-

ing force within the region in a balanced

way, organizing training for principals and

teachers to strengthen construction of weak

schools