China luring retired teachers to rural schools

China plans to recruit 7,000 retired teachers in 2025 as part of a program to improve teaching quality and strengthen educational management in rural schools, according to a recent notice.

The program seeks to leverage the experience of veteran educators to raise the standard of rural education and promote balanced, high-quality development between urban and rural areas, the notice said.

According to the document issued by the ministries of education and finance, the 2025 program will be carried out at the county level, mainly targeting regions that have recently emerged from poverty, underdeveloped counties populated by minority ethnic groups, old revolutionary base areas and border counties.

Hired teachers can serve as vice-principals at receiving schools and take part in school management. They will also conduct teaching activities, observe and evaluate lessons, deliver demonstration classes, organize seminars and workshops, and mentor young teachers, thereby serving as role models to help raise the educational standards of their host schools.

The standard service period is no less than one academic year, and teachers who perform well will be encouraged to continue. County authorities will assess their work and may terminate contracts if teachers fail to meet their obligations or due to health reasons.

Retired teachers will keep their pension benefits and receive a monthly allowance that includes subsidies, travel expenses and insurance coverage.

For teachers at the compulsory education level, the central and local governments will jointly fund the program, with an annual per capita standard of 20,000 yuan ($2,800). Host counties are required to provide accommodation with basic facilities.

The Ministry of Education launched the Silver Age Teaching Program for primary and secondary schools in 2018 and introduced a similar program for universities in 2020. By 2023, more than 20,000 retired schoolteachers and nearly 1,000 retired professors from leading universities had taken part in the program.

Xiong Bingqi, director of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, said the initiative helps address teacher shortages in less-developed regions and promotes educational equity.

"These excellent retired teachers can make a real difference by teaching students, mentoring young teachers, and helping with school management," Xiong said. "Their rich experience can help raise both teaching and administrative standards."

However, Xiong emphasized that silver-age teachers should play a supporting rather than a central role.

"Their main task is to assist in teaching and research. They should not be seen as the core or main teaching force of a school," he said.

While acknowledging that the national policy defines their supporting role clearly, he noted an emerging issue in some areas.

"Some localities rely heavily on recruiting silver-age teachers to fill teaching positions. In some cases, this is done to cut formal teaching posts or delay the hiring of new full-time teachers — a practice that deserves attention," he said.

He added that as student numbers decline, the focus should shift toward smaller class sizes, which require a stable and full-time teaching workforce rather than an excessive reliance on temporary or retired teachers.