Two Decades of Basic Education in Rural China

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teachers and 17 are substitute teachers accounting for 20 % of the total. After the
2007/08, there are no substitute teachers in the central school. Predictably the sub-
stitute teachers are concentrated in incomplete primary schools and village primary
schools.
In Zhaojue County in Shichuan Province in 1991, 32 % of the primary school
teachers in Zhaojue were minban teachers. In Bier district, this percentage was
58 % while in Sikai district was 41 % (Lewin and Wang et al. 1994 : 85). In
2008/09, these percentages ahd reduced significantly. Among 1602 teachers in
primary school, 1469 were official teachers and 133 substitute teachers account-
ing for 8 % of the total. In junior secondary school, out of 436 teachers, 427 were
official teachers and 8 were substitute teachers. At present, there is no substitute
teacher in district or township central primary schools. Substitute teachers tend to
work in incomplete village primary schools. In the Aboluo village primary school,
all three teachers are substitute teachers. Two teachers graduated from senior sec-
ondary school and the other one from junior middle school. Only one of them had
acquired a teacher certificate. The unqualified teacher rate remains high.
The data analysis shows that all the teachers in Tongzhou of Beijing are now offi-
cial teachers. In Ansai and Zhaojue, the number of substitute teachers has decreased
considerably. There are almost no substitute teacher in central primary schools and
junior secondary schools. Substitute teachers are concentrated in incomplete pri-
mary schools or teaching points. However, the distribution of teaching resources is
not even and better teachers are concentrated in central primary schools.

5.3.2 Salaries of Substitute Teachers

In the last two decades, teachers’ salaries have been enhanced along with the
increases in overall funding for education by the state. In 1990, the substitute
teachers’ monthly salary was 160 yuan in Tongxian, 70 yuan in Ansai and 40 yuan
in Zhaojue. By 2010, substitute teacher’s salaries had increased to between 400
and 700 yuan. Great differences in salaries between official teachers and sub-
stitute teachers still exist since official teachers typically earn at least twice as
much before additional benefits are taken into account. Table 5.3 shows that in
Yanhewan central primary school of Ansai, from 2002 to 2008, though monthly
salaries for both official and substitute teachers have been increasing year by year,
substitute teachers’ salary is far less than that for official teachers.

Table 5.3 Change of
primary teachers salary in
Yanhewan of Ansai

Year Official teachers Substitute teachers

2002 812 300

2004 819 350

2005 1109 350

2007 1148 560

2008 1384 700

5.3 Public and Substitute Teachers in Rural Schools