Education System in China

To serve the needs of over 1 billion people, China has developed a vast and
thorough state administered public education system. The Chinese education
system offers schooling from pre-school to graduate school and mandates that
every child receive a basic education.

As part of the Chinese government's overall plans for spending some 4 percent of t
he GDP onthe education system, monitoring of the local government's control of th
e funding is becoming more of a priority.

Literacy rate total (99.37 % of people ages 15-24) in China was last measured at in
2009, according to the World Bank. Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people
ages 15-24 who can, with understanding, read and write a short, simple statement
on their everyday life.
However, with such a large population, there is extreme pressure put on the
students to excel, as space in the best senior secondary schools and universities
are limited. Students who desire higher education must take two very difficult
tests, each only offered once a year.

History of education in china

As far back as the Shang Dynasty (16th century BC - 11th century BC),
inscriptions on bones or tortoise shells were the simple records of teaching and
learning. In the Western Zhou Dynasty (11th century BC - 771 BC), nobles built
schools to teach their children, as their off springs would be the officials of the
future, while those who were gifted but of poor families could but dream of
approaching state affairs. The development of education system led to a form of
evaluation that became the means by which dynastic China appointed those with
talents as officials. In general, this process can be divided into three periods -
'chaju' and 'zhengpi' in the Han Dynasty, the 'jiupin zhongzheng' system from Han
to the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and the Imperial Examination which
survived from the Sui Dynasty (589 - 618) right through to the last feudal dynasty
Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911). 
After that, China's education system fell into something of a state of confusion due
to the changes in national government. However, with the foundation of modern
China the new order introduced a fresh approach to education and brought is into a
new phase. Through long-term endeavor, the provision of educational has taken on
a prosperous process

STAGES OF EDUCATION IN china

Generally , education in China can be divided into the following stages:

1, Pre-school education for the 3-5 years old children in kindergartens.

2, Primary education for 6-11 years old children. Primary schools are usually run
by local educational authorities, and in some cases, by enterprises and individuals.

3, Secondary school provided to 12-17 years old children.

Education of this kind is conducted by local governments and various business

authorities are classified as secondary schools or vocational high schools whose
graduates hold the same degree studying as graduates senior middle schools and
sorts of secondary professional schools whose graduates enjoy some privileges as
from colleges. In particular, public secondary schools include junior middle
schools and senior middle schools, both for three years of study. Students
graduating from junior schools usually go to common senior middle schools, and
parts of them go to vocational high schools or secondary professional schools for
3-5 years of studying.

4, Higher education constituted by those for vocational college students,

undergraduates, postgraduates and doctorial students. Higher education is
performed by universities, colleges, institutes and vocational colleges. These
institutions bear the three major tasks of raising courses, doing scientific researches
and providing social services.

Curriculum Reform

 Conduct comprehensive reform of curriculum, textbook, in basic education.

 Leverage the excellent cultural and educational traditions of China as well as

the advanced curricula, textbooks and teaching methods of the other
countries.
  Brief Introduction to History of Teacher Education in China

Chinese people have a history and tradition of respecting teachers and attaching
importance to education since the very ancient times.

Teacher education in China only has a history of 100 years

Before 1904: Introduced ideas from abroad

Some ideas and notions about teacher education in other countries (European
countries, U.S. and Japan) had been introduced to China gradually.
△1904-1921: Learned from Japan
normal schools: primary school teachers
teacher colleges: secondary school teachers
△1922-1927: Learned from U.S.
Normal schools and regular secondary schools were encouraged to merge into
comprehensive secondary schools.
Teacher colleges became independent universities or faculties and departments of
universities.
△1928-1949: Explored in a hard time and way
Normal schools became independent again.
There were only 2 institutions for educating secondary school teachers during
1922-1937: Beijing Normal University, Beijing Women’s Normal University.

△1949-1966：Learned from Russia

◆ There were two kinds of higher education institutions for teacher education:

 Most of normal (education) colleges and normal junior colleges have

upgraded to universities.
Secondary normal schools were abolished from the beginning of 21st century and
some of them upgraded to junior colleges or universities

Teacher education providers in China

Nowadays, in China, teacher education are provided by universities, especially
normal universities.
There are 6 normal universities under MOE.
•Beijing Normal University

•East China Normal University

•Northeast China Normal University

•Central China Normal University

•Southwest University

•Shanxi Normal University

There are over 30 normal universities in China which are under the administration
of local educational authorities of each province.

•We usually call this kind of universities: local normal universities.

•They play a vital role in outputting teachers for school education in each province
of China.
Teacher education models in China
At undergraduate level:
▲ “2+2” model: 1st-2nd academic Year: subject knowledge studying;
3rd-4th academic Year: teaching skill training.
▲ “2.5+1.5” model: first 2.5 years: emphasizing on subject theory
learning (including some teaching practice);
last 1.5 years: focusing on teaching training,
practical training is the key point.
▲ “3+1” model: 1st-3rd academic Year: subject knowledge and education
theory studying;
4th academic Year: teaching practice

At postgraduate level:
▲ “4+2” model: 1st-4th academic Year: subject knowledge studying
(Bachelor of the subject);
5th-6th academic Year: teaching skill training
(Master of education).
Beijing Normal University uses this model to educate research-based teachers for
secondary schools, especially key middle schools.

Curriculum framework of teacher education

Subject knowledge is emphasized more than pedagogical knowledge according to

the curricula framework of teacher education in China.
Curricula structure of pre-service teacher education at undergraduate level
Zhejiang Normal University All the curriculums can be divided into 3 parts:
◇general education
◇ subject knowledge
◇ pedagogy & teaching training
Part I: General Education

Curricula Curricula module Credit

category
General education Political theory 16
(obligatory) Information technology 4-6
University foreign language 12
University Physical 4
University Chinese literature 2
Higher mathematics 3-10
Career planning and employment guidance for 2
college students
General education History and culture 6-12
(elective) Culture and arts
Economy and society
Science and society
Well-being and life
Total 49-64

Part II : subject knowledge

Curricula category Curricula module Credit
Discipline basic 35-50
curriculum
Subject core curriculum

Subject oriented & Subject oriented curricular > 30

development curriculum Subject development curricular
Practical segment Graduation dissertation design 6-10

Major practice 4-12

Social practice of political theory 2
Military theory & military training 2
Total 79-106
Part III: pedagogy & teaching training
Curricula Curricula module Credit
category
Educational pedagogy 2
theory and Educational psychology 2
psychology Psychological consultation of secondary school 2
students
Educational philosophy 2
Educational sociology 2
Teacher ethnics / Educational history at home and 2
abroad
Discipline pedagogical theory 2
Lectures about educational reform 1
Theory about teacher professional development 2
Educational Class management 2
administration & School organization and administration 2
educational Educational research methods 2
research Research on discipline standards and teaching 2
material of secondary school
Curriculum development 3
Teaching skills Modem educational technology theory and 3
and methods application
language skill of teachers 1
Handwriting skill 1
Microteaching and teaching diagnosis 1
Teaching strategy and teaching design 2
Case teaching's theory and method 2
Teaching practice Teaching novitiate 2
Teaching practice 7
Teaching research 1
Total 52

Teaching practice in local normal universities

Compared with other normal universities in China, Zhejiang Normal University
emphasizes more on students’ teaching skill’s training.
◆ Students will take part in 9 weeks’ teaching practice and 3 weeks’ teaching
research.
◆ Teaching research: when students teach a class at schools, their performance
will be taken by a video recorder. When they finish their practice and go back to
university from schools, they will watch these videos to do self-reflection and team
discussion.
 Teacher Education Practical Training Centre (TEPTC)
 We have established the Teacher Education Practical Training Centre
(TEPTC) in order to enhance students’ teaching skills.

 Each year, 2500 undergraduate students will take an assessment (including

teaching strategy design, courseware making, handwriting, pronunciation of
mandarin and etc) in the centre. If a student cannot pass the assessment, he
(she) will not be able to attend teaching practice and cannot get the Bachelor
Degree and Graduation Diploma.