CHINESE teacher training colleges must update their teaching programmes to world standards, and local governments across the country must raise more money for teacher training buildings, equipment and materials, under new requirements announced by Liu Bin, vice-minister of the State Education Commission.
Making his announcement at the close of a national teacher education conference in Beijing, the vice-minister said progress was essential in the teaching of computer science, biotechnology, engineering and other fast-developing technical fields if China was to be internationally competitive.
The new requirements are part of the government's efforts to improve teacher training and produce educators with appropriate specialist skills. Details will be released soon, so local government education departments - which are to retain responsibility for the professional training of primary and middle school teachers - can make teacher education a priority, Liu said.
The nation's legislature has laid down rules promoting fund increases in education by central and local governments, but some leaders still ignored the importance of teacher education, he added. It was therefore necessary to introduce a new set of regulations to ensure the priority of teacher education in local government development plans.
The most recent commission statistics published last year indicated that 66 per cent of senior teacher training colleges failed to meet state construction standards, while 94.5 per cent failed to provide sufficient instructional materials. In junior teacher training colleges, 51 per cent did not meet state operating standards in most respects.
Future teacher training programmes will also stress professional ethics. Liu said that while most primary and middle schools have complied with the commission's ethics regulations implemented in 1991, corporal punishment and unauthorised fees and fines could still be found in some.
The government plans to increase scholarships and loans to teacher trainees and the per-capita government allocation of funds for normal college students is expected to be more than for other universities. While the government tries its best to invest in the infrastructure of teacher education, the colleges themselves must work to improve their academic qualifications.
Speaking in Yinchuan, Premier Li Peng urged local party committees to put more emphasis on education and to take better care of teachers.