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Well-spoken teacher dismissed due to lack of dissertations
By Guan Xiaomeng (Chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2005-12-01 15:01
A teacher of philosophy in Zhejiang University's School of Humanities failed
his teachers' evaluation this year because of having not published any
dissertations.
Zhu Miaohua, 48 years old, was just a philosophy lecturer at Zhejiang
University. But despite not being a professor, he was the most popular teacher
on campus outside of some professors, as he ranked the seventh in the 2003
teachers' evaluation based on students' marks, with the six before him being
renowned professors.
His optional Western art history lecture was the most-attended public course
on campus. Each class, quite a number of students would bring chairs themselves
in case no seat was left or stand in the corridor listening to him. They always
clapped at the end of each lecture and gave him a bunch of flowers at the end of
the last lecture of each school term.
Students are with
their much-loved teacher Zhu Miaohua. |
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Why was a teacher with such popularity "not qualified" for his job? The
answer: no dissertations.
A Zhejiang University official said that universities are responsible for
scientific research as well as teaching, with the former being the criteria for
teacher appointments and promotions. The university rules stipulate that
teachers without research achievement have no access to any titles, even if they
have good teaching skills.
"The problem with Zhu Miaohua is he has no research," said the official at
the time of his dismissal.
Professor Li Mingyou, a former colleague of Zhu, complained that it was
unfair to Zhu to be let go. He said that right now, university teachers like Zhu
are rare. Zhu kept teaching for the sake of teaching itself while some other
teachers teach simply to finish the task for promotion or other benefits.
"I am puzzled as to why the current evaluation mechanism doesn't give a fair
mark to such teachers as my colleague Zhu," Li said.
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