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Ministry of Education has claimed that basic salaries of teachers in primary and middle schools will rise by 10%, according to a new proposal of the alary system reform. In addition, teachers who work in remote areas will receive a specific allowance. In Beijing, the municipal government has also issued a document to ensure that salaries of teachers in primary and middle schools will be no less than those of civil servants.  We will have a look at how media respond to this.

Reporter:

One comment in China's Economic Times welcomes the policies. Teaching is one of the most tiring and difficult jobs. But the low social status and compensation have caused serious talent drain in the education system. Now many teachers have changed their profession to being civil servants. And teachers in remote areas have gone to economically developed areas. So the rural areas lack qualified teachers.

If the salaries for teachers can be raised by 10%, the talent drain of teachers in rural areas might be stopped. The comment also points out that integrating teachers into the civil servant force can ensure their welfare by compulsory regulations.
Equality of education is the beginning of social equality. Only if the teachers receive fair treatment, can they concentrate on their career and teach their students well.

The Oriental Morning Post carries an article saying the Compulsory Education Law, passed last year has stipulated that salaries for teachers in primary and middle schools should be no less than those of civil servants. However, implementation has been hard.

According to the Law, the government should establish a system to guarantee the funding for education, including teachers' salaries. Even in Beijing, the economically developed capital city, the local government has just started to take action on it. It's not difficult to imagine the implementation of the law in other areas.

The article also points out it is not appropriate to emphasize the salaries of teachers to be no less than those of civil servants, for the saying itself is a discrimination against teachers. The correct way is to take teachers as civil servants. In some developed countries, such as Germany, Japan and France, teachers working for compulsory education are treated as civil servants.