Research On The Treatment Of Primary School Teachers In Zhejiang Province During The Period Of The Republic Of China

As treatment is the key to attract talents, wages and benefits for primary school teachers mean a lot to the education development of this stage. Taking the treatment of primary school teachers in Zhejiang Province during the period of the Republic of China as a subject, this research not only summarizes the vertical developing trend of treatment policies but also compares primary school teachers’ treatment with that of other social groups laterally. Meanwhile, it examines the divergence of salary between cities of Zhejiang Province and those of other provinces as well as between different regions within Zhejiang Province and thus gives a comprehensive presentation of the situation of primary school teachers’ treatment. Besides, this thesis explores the constraints on teachers’treatment improvement and their negative impact. The investigation, carding and analysis of primary school teachers’treatment in such a particular context can not only serve as a supplement to the current study, but also provide a valuable reference for the construction of the teaching team as well as for the development of the present primary education. This thesis is divided into six parts:The first chapter mainly introduces the origin of this topic and the significance of it. It also summarizes the current research status and its deficiency, study methods and concept definitions.The second chapter talks about the formulation and development of treatment policies concerning primary school teachers in Zhejiang Province in the years of the Republic of China. Based on the issued policy and the specific circumstances of different areas, Zhejiang province refines the treatment standards and forms a three-level criterion, namely, the state level, the provincial level and the county level.The third chapter focuses on the actual treatment of the vast number of primary school teachers. Because of the obstacles to the implementation of the policies, there is a big gap between the real situation and the ideal program. In the prewar period, teachers take a poor salary but can maintain their life, while in the postwar days, their living conditions go steadily downhill till they fell down the valley bottom.The forth chapter gives a horizontal assessment of primary school teachers’ treatment in Zhejiang Province. Compared with teachers in cities of other provinces, those in Zhejiang province don’t seem to have obvious advantages in wages and benefits; within the province, the northern part is relatively superior to the middle and southern part; and the middle and the south are roughly the same. Before the war, there is a disparity of treatment between primary teaching staff and members in universities and middle schools. After the war, owing to political and economical changes, the gap is getting narrowed and teachers of different stages tend to be equally matched in life conditions. However, the imbalance of treatment still exists between primary school faculty and basic-level public servants.The fifth chapter analyzes the factors which restrict the treatment of primary school teachers to improve and their negative impact. Through sorting out and analyzing the materials, the author believes that among the constraints, insufficient funds for education, lax standard for teachers’access and low rate of qualification occupy the leading positions. In the period of the Republic of China, the skimpy pay of primary school faculty not only influences people’s psychology of job-choosing but also brings a serious negative effect on teachers’working enthusiasm and the build-up of the whole teaching staff.The sixth chapter concludes and also reflects on the historical experience about the treatment of primary school teachers in Zhejiang Province during the period of the Republic of China. It is thought that improving the treatment of primary school faculty is the key to construct a high-qualified teaching body. As to the improvement of primary school teachers’treatment, the prerequisite is to raise the standards for teachers’ access system; the essential guarantee is to effectively implement the policies; and the important direction is to promote regional treatment balance.