"13 Teachers Hired, Must Have Master's or Doctorate Degree"... What's Happening at a Middle School in China?

All Newly Hired Middle School Teachers in China Hold Master's or Doctorate Degrees
"Attracting High-Level Talent" Doctoral Program Recruitment Announcement Issued
"Youth Unemployment Rate Rises, Even Master's and Doctorate Holders Face Job Market Difficulties"

In China, where young people are facing severe employment difficulties, a large number of highly educated individuals holding master's and doctoral degrees are being hired as middle school teachers, sparking controversy over 'academic inflation.' On the 2nd, Chinese media outlet Jupaxinwen reported, "A middle school in Jiangsu Province announced a list of 13 newly hired teachers, among whom 8 hold doctoral degrees," adding, "This is a result of master's and doctoral degree holders struggling with employment difficulties amid rising youth unemployment rates."

Last July, job seekers were talking with recruiters at a job fair held in Haikou, Hainan Province, China. Photo by Xinhua News Agency

Recently, Suzhou Middle School in Jiangsu Province announced a list of 13 newly hired teachers, all of whom hold master's or doctoral degrees, with 8 holding doctorates and 5 holding master's degrees. Among them, 6 graduates were from Tsinghua University and 4 from Peking University, China's top prestigious universities, totaling 10. The remaining 3 were graduates of Nanjing University and the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, also among China's leading universities.

This was because the school initially posted a recruitment notice targeting doctoral graduates, stating its intention to "attract high-level talent." The notice allowed master's degree holders to apply if they met four conditions, including "having received a national scholarship at least three times during bachelor's and master's studies." As a result, many master's degree holders were also hired.

The requirement for high academic qualifications for middle school teacher recruitment, and the fact that no graduates from normal universities were hired, sparked controversy. The state-run Xin Jing Bao pointed out, "Having a PhD in physics does not mean one can teach physics well. Education is a professional job that requires systematic training in psychology and pedagogy," and added, "It is doubtful whether the most suitable talent is selected according to actual needs."

Job seekers are attending a job fair held in Beijing last March. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

However, this phenomenon is said to be common. Xiong Bingzhi, director of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, said, "It is no longer a new phenomenon but a general trend for PhDs to take teaching positions in elementary, middle, and high schools," adding, "Major schools in Suzhou, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, and others require a master's degree or higher for new teacher recruitment, and most candidates who advance to the final interview are doctoral graduates." He also noted, "One million graduate students graduate annually in China, which is comparable to the number of university graduates in a single year in the 1990s."

Regarding the fact that the newly hired teachers at Suzhou Middle School are from prestigious universities, he explained, "It seems that in the recruitment process, the academic performance of prestigious university graduates was better than that of normal university graduates, or there was preferential treatment for prestigious universities," and added, "The school considers hiring graduates from prestigious universities an important achievement in faculty composition."

In June 2023, when China's youth unemployment rate reached a record high of 21.3%, the government temporarily suspended the release of statistics and introduced a new youth unemployment rate calculation method that excluded middle and high school students as well as university students from the statistics. However, in July of last year, the youth unemployment rate hit 17.1%, the highest since the change in calculation method.

As employment difficulties worsen, there is an assessment that 'academic inflation' is inevitable. Yang Xiaodong (35), a middle school teacher who earned a doctoral degree from Beijing Normal University, told the media, "It is becoming increasingly common for PhD graduates to become middle school teachers," adding, "I chose to be a physics teacher because I want to influence more students at the basic education level. I do not think it is excessive for PhDs to become middle school teachers."