Issues related to quality education, shortage of educational resources, and the welfare and psychological health of teachers were heatedly discussed by the Nanshan delegation to the Seventh Session of the Sixth Shenzhen Municipal People’s Congress at the Civic Center on Saturday afternoon.
Mei Liansheng, a deputy from Nanshan, suggested the government attach equal attention to the quality of education while promoting the balanced development of compulsory education.
“I think the government should prioritize quality education in its urban development strategy and improve the city’s educational system from a macroscopic perspective and from multiple levels,” Mei said.
According to Mei, the government should alleviate the academic burdens on children receiving basic education and further support vocational education. Meanwhile, there should be a certain proportion of male and female teachers, as there currently are far too few male teachers in kindergartens, and primary and secondary schools.
In terms of higher education, Mei said the supporting facilities and the academic atmosphere in university town are lagging behind compared with Western countries.
Another deputy, Du Ping, said schools should focus on teachers’ mental health. “Over 70 percent of teachers in Shenzhen’s schools are female teachers, who not only face great pressure from their daily work but also their family. Therefore, I suggest there should be a teachers’ mental health care program to help them relieve pressure,” said Du.
Du also mentioned that there is a shortage of seats for senior high school students in the city and the government should pay proper attention to the problem and address it as soon as possible.
In 2019, Shenzhen will rebuild and expand 18 public primary and secondary schools, adding more than 31,000 seats. One public high school will be rebuilt and expanded to add 2,400 seats for senior high school students.
Meanwhile, more than 20,000 seats will be added in kindergartens, according to the government work report delivered by Mayor Chen Rugui on Friday morning.