China wants to draw on experienced educators to help improve the quality of teaching in less developed areas of the country.

China’s Ministry of Education and Ministry of Finance have announced a new programme for 2025 that aims to ‘improve education standards in regions that have recently emerged from poverty, underdeveloped ethnic minority counties, old revolutionary base areas, and border counties’. This means that the country will be hiring 7,000 retired teachers to help with teacher shortages and to draw on the knowledge and skills of experienced teachers to help improve the quality of teaching in these areas. This isn’t an entirely new concept; The Ministry of Education previously launched the Silver Age Teaching programme in primary and secondary schools in 2018 and a similar programme for universities in 2020.

The recruited retired teachers will receive a monthly allowance for subsidises, travel expenses and insurance, and will retain their pension benefits. The teachers will be employed for at least a year and encouraged to stay if they are ‘performing well’. However, it is noted that contracts might be terminated due to health reasons or if county authorities deem teachers to be ‘failing to meet their obligations’.

What will be the role of the recruited teachers?

Alongside teaching activities, some other ways that these teachers will support in schools include:

  • serving as vice-principals
  • taking part in school management
  • observing and evaluating lessons
  • giving demonstration classes
  • organising workshops and seminars
  • mentoring young teachers.

Whilst there is praise for the programme, there are also concerns. For example, Xiong Bingqi, Director of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, explains “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.” 1

Read more about the programme. 

Reference

  1. China to hire 7,000 retired teachers to support rural schools (Accessed: 20th October 2025)

 

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  • Kat Cauchi

    Kat is the former editor of R.I.S.E. Magazine. She is the chair of the BESA Women’s Educational Suppliers Network, a Global Equality Collective member, InnovateHer ambassador and TechUpWomen Mentor. She is a also a 2023 #TechWomen100 award winner and 2022 Nexus Education award winner.

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