112 5 Rural Teacher Issues
be two-way. One of the ways for resolving the problem is promoting outstand-
ing teachers and principals’ movement between quality and weak schools, and
between central and village schools, by developing an exchange and rotation sys-
tem in compulsory education to promote better and more efficient deployment of
teachers with a fairer system of posting to more difficult locations.
Some Provinces already do this. For example, in Fujian province, the govern-
ment implements a rotating management mechanism. When a teacher or principal
has held post in a school for five years or more, he/she must transfer to another
school. In Hebei province, local government has taken measures to improve rural
teachers’ salaries and benefits, gives priority for promotion to professional titles
to rural teachers, and has increased the proportion of teacher’s higher professional
titles. In Hubei province, improvements are promoted by the implementation of
the “Rural Teachers Finance Scheme”, “the Plan for Urban School Teachers
Support for Rural Education” and “the Project for Improving Rural Teacher’s
Quality”. More broadly, the need is to develop the mechanisms that can be estab-
lished to encourage more mobility between urban and rural teachers, promote
urban teachers working temporarily in rural schools, and facilitating rural teachers
to work and get training in urban schools.
5.7.4 Enhancing the Effectiveness of Deployment
of Teachers in Rural Schools
In rural areas, especially in remote and poor areas, there is shortage of bet-
ter teachers. Paradoxically there also exists a waste of limited human resources.
Surplus teachers are a result of a decrease in the number of students. Under the
circumstances the schools could reduce class size, develop small class teaching
methods, and adopt more effective pedagogies. Performance related pay systems
are not currently very effective and need to change if they are to have more effect
on motivation, and improve teaching and learning strategies.
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He, J. L. (2010). Study on issues of rural substitute teachers. Master thesis, Shaanxi Normal
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Lewin, K., Wang, Y. J., et al. (1994). Implementing basic education in China: Progress and pros-
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Educational Planning.
Lei, W. P., & Chen, G. B. (2008). On diverting policy of rural substitute teachers. Academic
Journal of Mid China Normal University, 1 , 117.
Lu, R. (1993). Challenges faced by Universal compulsory education in our compulsory education
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