Education Authorities in China Exploring Teacher Withdrawal Mechanisms to Eliminate Irresponsible Teachers
Education authorities in several provinces in China, including Beijing, Guizhou, and Zhejiang, are considering the establishment of teacher withdrawal mechanisms to prevent individual teachers from shirking their responsibilities and to eliminate irresponsible teachers from the teaching team.
According to a report by the “Beijing Business Daily,” the 2024 work meeting of the Beijing Fengtai Education Development Council, held on January 7, discussed several measures on promoting the management reform of “District-Managed and School-Recruitment” of primary and secondary school teachers in Fengtai District. Among the proposed measures is the exploration of a teacher withdrawal mechanism and the strengthening of the annual assessment of teachers.
Zhai Hongchen, deputy director of the Fengtai District Education Commission, explained that for teachers who fail the annual assessment during the employment period, the school may not renew their employment, or it may lower their job grade or adjust their employment. Disobedience to organizational arrangements or repeated failure of the annual assessment may result in the termination of the employment contract.
Other regions are also considering similar measures. The Guiyang Municipal Education Bureau proposed a comprehensive evaluation system for teachers and an exit mechanism for those who rank at the bottom. The Ningbo Municipal Education Bureau also issued a draft opinion on the teacher withdrawal mechanism, targeting teachers who fail to be hired, fail assessments, violate teacher ethics, or are not qualified for teaching positions.
Xiong Bingqi, dean of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, emphasized the need to break the “iron rice bowl” of teachers, prevent them from shirking responsibilities, and eliminate irresponsible teachers from the teaching team when implementing the withdrawal mechanism.
While the move is aimed at improving educational standards, experts stress the importance of avoiding increasing teachers’ professional burnout, adding to their assessment burden, and making basic education more utilitarian.
As education authorities work on finalizing these measures, it is crucial to strike a balance between holding teachers accountable and supporting their professional growth.