National Report on Teacher Development (2023-2024) is the fourth volume in the National Report on Teacher Development series. With teacher compensation and benefits guarantee as its theme, this year’s report was led by Research Fellow Li Tingzhou.
Teachers play a fundamental role in the progress of human society, the inheritance of civilization, and national development. Enhancing teachers’ status and compensation has become a global strategic consensus. China has a long-standing fine tradition of respecting teachers and valuing education, as well as advocating wisdom and learning—a tradition that has been well inherited and developed in contemporary China. However, in recent years, teacher compensation and benefits guarantee has faced a series of challenges, which have become constraints on strengthening the teaching workforce.
To deepen the theoretical understanding of teachers’ status and compensation, comprehensively grasp the overall situation and key issues, and propose solutions, this year’s National Report on Teacher Development focuses on teacher compensation and benefits guarantee as its core theme. The research team conducted a nationwide study: questionnaires were distributed to school principals and teachers across 31 provincial-level administrative regions in China, with 11,860 valid questionnaires collected; additionally, a series of interviews and seminars were held in Shandong, Shanghai, Beijing, Fujian, Inner Mongolia, Zhejiang, Anhui, and Sichuan, where in-depth exchanges were conducted with officials from education administrative departments at all levels, as well as school principals and teachers. The data obtained from these empirical studies serve as an important foundation for this report.
National Report on Teacher Development (2023-2024) consists of three parts: Annual Progress Report on Teacher Workforce Development: Based on statistical data, this part outlines the development status and progress of teacher workforce construction across all levels and types of education, summarizes major events and landmark policy initiatives during the period, and reviews academic research findings and perspectives of the year. Main Report on Research into Teacher Status and Compensation: Drawing on survey data, this part presents the overall situation of teachers’ status and compensation, identifies the challenges faced, and puts forward recommendations for further improving teachers’ status and compensation. Thematic Reports on Research into Teacher Status and Compensation: This part addresses 10 key academic and policy issues related to teachers’ status and compensation, including: What are the historical logic, global context, and contemporary issues of teacher status and compensation in China? What kind of institutional design for teacher status and compensation is needed in the context of building an education powerhouse? What internal disparities exist in the status and compensation of primary and secondary school teachers? What are the achievements and problems in guaranteeing the compensation of special education teachers? What are the new directions for teacher compensation and benefits guarantee amid digital transformation? What is the structure of salary systems for primary and secondary school teachers in major developed countries, and what lessons can be learned? What is the structure and logic of faculty salary systems in world-leading education powerhouses?
This report serves as a phased summary of the reform and development of China’s teacher workforce; it is also an academic effort to address issues related to teachers’ status and compensation from both theoretical and policy perspectives. It is hoped that the report will offer some insights to readers.
Recommendations by Distinguished Experts
Over the past five years, the National Report on Teacher Development series has gradually evolved into a chronicle recording the progress of China’s teacher workforce construction, a think tank analyzing policy trends, and a case collection compiling practical wisdom. The establishment of this academic brand is inseparable from the research team’s unwavering academic dedication and social responsibility. It is hoped that the team will continue to delve into this field with the perseverance of polishing a sword for ten years, and further improve the theoretical system of teacher development with Chinese characteristics. More importantly, it is expected that this report will arouse the whole society’s deep concern for the teaching community, so that respecting teachers and valuing education will not only remain in policy documents but also become a cultural awareness embedded in everyone’s heart.
— Gu Mingyuan, Honorary President of the Chinese Society of Education, Senior Professor of Beijing Normal University
The issue of teacher compensation and benefits guarantee is vital to the foundation of education and bears on national welfare and the people’s livelihood. Currently, China’s education is undergoing a critical transformation from scale expansion to connotative improvement. During this process, teacher compensation and benefits guarantee faces practical challenges such as regional imbalance, structural inadequacy in professional attractiveness, and new demands arising from digital transformation. Against this backdrop, this report analyzes the Chinese issues concerning teacher status and compensation from a holistic perspective and explores solutions with an empirical approach. It is not only an academic interpretation of national policies but also a practical endeavor in building an education powerhouse. It is believed that this report—embodying wisdom and passion—will inject new impetus into the development of China’s teaching workforce and add new glory to Shanghai Normal University’s efforts to build a high-level university.
— Yang Deguang, Former President and Professor of Shanghai Normal University
At this special historical juncture—marking the 80th anniversary of UNESCO’s founding and the critical phase of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development—the publication of National Report on Teacher Development (2023-2024) – Teacher Compensation and Benefits Guarantee is highly timely. As the Director of the UNESCO International Centre for Teacher Education (TEC), I deeply recognize that this report, focusing on teacher compensation and benefits guarantee, is not only a significant achievement in China’s teacher policy research but also a vivid expression of Chinese wisdom in the global field of teacher education research. It is believed that this report will become an important outcome in global teacher education research. It is hoped that the research team will always adhere to the principle of global perspective, Chinese stance, and practice-oriented approach, and continue to make important contributions to enhancing teachers’ status and compensation and promoting high-quality education development.
— Zhang Minxuan, Former President and Professor of Shanghai Normal University, Director of the UNESCO International Centre for Teacher Education (TEC)
