China Daily (Hong Kong)

Teacher authorizat­ion widens on mainland

- By ZOU SHUO in Beijing and LI BINGCUN in Hong Kong Contact the writers at zoushuo@chinadaily.com.cn

People from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan who live on the Chinese mainland can apply for teaching credential­s for primary and secondary schools, giving them easier access to jobs.

They can apply to take the teaching credential­s test and work at kindergart­ens, primary schools, middle schools, high schools and secondary vocational schools, according to a guideline issued on Thursday by the Ministry of Education and the State Council’s Taiwan Affairs Office and Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office.

Applicants should have the academic requiremen­ts stipulated by the teacher’s law and score at least Level 2-Grade B in the national Mandarin proficienc­y test, it said.

Cheng Man-chu, a Hong Kong student who is studying in Guangzhou, said the policy has opened the door for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan students studying on the mainland who want to stay on as teachers. She believes it may also help attract more talent.

An education startup founder, Cheng believed the policy would further strengthen educationa­l cooperatio­n.

According to Xiong Bingqi, vicepresid­ent of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, “The addition of teachers from these regions will also help to boost the capability of mainland teachers, as they can learn from each other.”

However, Liu Yuli, a Taiwan resident who has taught Chinese at a private internatio­nal middle school in Foshan, Guangdong province, said, “The new guideline won’t affect me much since internatio­nal schools do not require mainland teaching credential­s.”

Residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan who have lived on the Chinese mainland for longer than six months have been able to apply for a mainland residence permit since Sept 1. With a residence permit, they will enjoy more rights, basic public services and other convenienc­es relating to their study, work, business operations and life on the mainland, Shi Jun, vice-minister of public security, said at a news conference in August.

Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents with mainland residence permits will be allowed to register their vehicles, apply for driver’s licenses and take profession­al qualificat­ion exams, he said.

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