110 5 Rural Teacher Issues
methods, update their knowledge and lay concrete bases for improving students’
achievement and personal development. In Yanhewan central primary school of
Ansai, the majority of teachers have engaged in in-service second major train-
ing. Nearly half of the teachers have followed advanced studies from secondary
specialized school to three-year university or even under graduate professional
training. But all this is achieved by teachers themselves using their spare time to
engage in advanced studies on their own expense. The schools have mostly not
provided opportunities for teachers to engage in advanced studies. The main chan-
nel to improve professional quality of the teachers is to take part in internal teach-
ing research activities organized by subject group, demonstration teaching, or
some backbone teachers attending 1–2 days training in county bureau of education
every month or semester. But opportunities are limited and at Chafang primary
school in Yahewan the teachers expressed their wish to have a chance to get some
training in the central school. However, they have no such opportunity. Teachers
generally think that teaching and research activities are useful for improving their
professional quality, but the opportunities are too few.
5.7 Conclusions and Policy Suggestions
Compared with 25 years ago, all aspects of rural compulsory education teacher
have improved. However, in the context of achieving new goals of balanced devel-
opment of compulsory education and improving the quality of rural education, a
series of problems with rural teachers need to be addressed. These include better
arrangements and use of substitute teachers, reductions in the disparities in teach-
ers treatment between urban and rural areas and between different types of schools
and between different types of teachers, the drain of core teachers especially
from village primary schools, and the uneven and sometimes unreasonable use
of teachers. Education is of fundamental importance to achieving China’s devel-
opment goals. The teacher is the crucial element for improving education qual-
ity. Promoting more balanced development of rural teachers lies in the following
aspects.
5.7.1 Establishing Mechanisms to Attract Better Teachers
to Rural Schools
There is a surplus of teachers happens in township town central primary schools,
and at the same time there is shortage of teachers in complete and incomplete vil-
lage schools. The teachers in these schools teach more teaching hours and working
conditions are harder than in central primary schools. Within an area, better teach-
ers are concentrated in central schools, and substitute teachers and teachers with
lower qualifications tend to work in village schools. Reforming the central primary