Ministry of Education: “The more grassroots, the more difficult, the higher the salary” pattern formed for rural teachers
On August 31, the Ministry of Education held a press conference to discuss the progress and effectiveness of the construction of high-quality teachers. Ren Youqun, director of the Department of Teacher Affairs of the Ministry of Education, highlighted the specific efforts made to strengthen the protection of rural teachers’ remuneration. He mentioned that a salary pattern of “the more grassroots, the more difficult, and the higher the salary” has been established for rural teachers in various regions.
According to Ren Youqun, the Party Central Committee and the State Council have prioritized the protection of rural teachers’ remuneration. The Ministry of Education, in collaboration with relevant departments, has implemented various policies and closely monitored their implementation to enhance the protection of rural teachers’ remuneration.
The first initiative is to build upon the achievements of the “no less than” policy. In line with ensuring that the average wage income of compulsory education teachers is not lower than that of local civil servants in 2020, all localities are guided to further improve the linkage mechanism between the salary adjustments of compulsory education teachers and that of local civil servants. This consolidation has resulted in better guaranteed wages and benefits for teachers as a whole.
The second initiative focuses on the implementation of a living subsidy policy for rural teachers. The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance have introduced the living subsidy policy for rural teachers working in 22 provinces in the central and western regions that were originally contiguous poverty-stricken counties. This policy has benefitted 1.3 million teachers. Additionally, 1,086 non-contiguous destitute counties have adopted similar policies through the central reward and subsidy program. As a result, a salary pattern of “the more grassroots, the more difficult, the higher the salary” has been established for rural teachers.
The third initiative aims to increase the employment opportunities and professional titles for rural teachers. In July 2020, the Ministry of Education and other relevant departments issued guidelines to strengthen the construction of rural teachers in the new era. These guidelines control the total number of posts and list separate proportions for rural teachers, independent of the school’s post structure. Furthermore, policies have been issued in various regions to prioritize and facilitate the evaluation and recruitment of professional titles for rural teachers.
The fourth initiative promotes the strengthening of housing guarantees for rural teachers. The construction of turnover dormitories for teachers in remote and difficult areas in rural schools has been accelerated, contributing to an improved housing security system for teachers. As of July 2023, over 5 million units of indemnificatory rental housing have been built nationwide, benefiting more than 15 million citizens, including rural teachers. Rural teachers can now enjoy similar housing policies.
Ren Youqun concluded by emphasizing the need to address the impending population changes. The Ministry of Education has commissioned a team of experts to plan and optimize teacher resources comprehensively. Based on census data, future projections indicate an increase in rural education scale as urbanization progresses. However, reducing the number of rural teachers may create an imbalance in teacher resources between urban and rural areas. To tackle this issue, it is imperative to engage in teacher resource allocation planning for all levels of education in urban and rural areas, support rural teacher construction, and implement multiple measures to strengthen rural teachers’ remuneration guarantees. Additionally, rural teachers should proactively enhance their learning, continuously improve their teaching skills, and make positive contributions to the improvement of rural education.