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On October 5, 2023, the salaries of civil servants ushered in an unprecedented large-scale adjustment, which plunged the people of the whole country into a controversy of keen concern. This adjustment involves civil servants, personnel of public institutions, staff of organs (units) managed with reference to the Civil Servants Law, and other types of public employees, totaling about 60 million people. According to the provisions of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Civil Servants and the Law of the People's Republic of China on Public Institutions, the salaries of these personnel shall be uniformly formulated by the State and distributed differently according to factors such as positions, ranks, and posts. The purpose of this adjustment is to increase the income level of public officials, motivate them to better perform their duties, and promote social fairness and justice.
However, in this adjustment, another industry has also been fluctuated: teacher income. Teachers, as guardians of teaching and solving confusion, are the cornerstone of society. However, for a long time, teachers' income packages were relatively low and could not be compared with other professions. This large-scale adjustment seems to be the domain of civil servants, but in fact, it also gives teachers a chance. In this adjustment, teachers will face unprecedented challenges and opportunities.
### Current situation and existing problems of teacher income
As a silent and dedicated force in society, teachers have always played an important role in cultivating talents and disseminating knowledge. However, for a long time, teachers' salaries have not received the attention and reasonable adjustment they deserve. This not only leads to the instability of the number of teachers, but also discourages many people with enthusiasm for education.
According to the "2022 China Education Development Statistical Bulletin", by the end of 2022, there were 1.698 million schools of all levels and types in the country, with **370 million students** and 18.096 million full-time teachers**. Among them, there are 1.751 million full-time teachers in ordinary colleges and universities, and 15.088 million full-time teachers in ordinary primary and secondary schools**. As can be seen from the data, China has a large education system and a large student body, but relatively speaking, the number of teachers is insufficient.
From the perspective of teacher income, according to the "2022 China Teacher Income Report", the average monthly income of teachers in 2022 will be **6820 yuan**, of which the average monthly income of teachers in ordinary colleges and universities is **10017 yuan**, and the average monthly income of ordinary primary and secondary school teachers is **6023 yuan**. It can be seen from the data that the income level of teachers is significantly lower than the per capita disposable income of urban residents in the country, that is, **10387 yuan**. Moreover, there are still differences in teachers' income levels by region, school segment, subject and other aspects, and it is even difficult for teachers in some remote and poor areas to maintain their basic livelihood.
The main reasons for the low income of teachers are as follows:
- Insufficient investment in education. According to the Outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development of the People's Republic of China and the Long-Range Goals for 2035, by 2025, the proportion of state financial education expenditure to gross domestic product (GDP) should reach **4%**. However, according to the 2022 China Education Development Statistical Communiqué, the proportion of national fiscal education expenditure to GDP in 2022 is **3.8%**, which is still below the target. This means that the education sector is still facing a problem of insufficient funding, which makes it difficult to raise teachers' salaries. - Excessive workload of teachers. According to the "2022 China Teacher Income Report", the average weekly working hours of teachers nationwide in 2022 will be **49.6 hours**, of which the average weekly working hours of teachers in ordinary colleges and universities are **51.4 hours**, and the average weekly working hours of ordinary primary and secondary school teachers are **49.1 hours**. As can be seen from the data, teachers' working hours far exceed the statutory weekly working hours, which is **40 hours**.
Moreover, teachers not only have to undertake teaching tasks such as lecturing, lesson preparation, and marking homework, but also undertake multiple responsibilities such as management, counseling, and research. This makes teachers' work intense, without a commensurate increase in income. - The teacher evaluation mechanism is not perfect. According to the Law of the People's Republic of China on Public Institutions, the wages of personnel of public institutions shall be differentiated according to factors such as positions, grades, and positions, and a performance-based pay system shall be implemented. However, in practice, teachers' performance pay is often affected by various subjective and objective factors, such as test results, merit evaluation, student evaluation, etc. This makes some excellent teachers not get the rewards they deserve, while some incompetent teachers can earn a lot of money.
In summary, the current situation and existing problems of teacher income mainly include the following three aspects:
- The income level of teachers is lower than the per capita disposable income level of urban residents in the whole country - The workload of teachers is too large without a corresponding increase in income - The teacher evaluation mechanism is not perfect, resulting in unfair income distribution
### The impact of large-scale adjustment of civil servants' salaries on teachers' income
In this large-scale adjustment of civil service salaries, teachers' incomes will also be affected. According to the Notice on Adjusting the Wages of Civil Servants and Public Institution Personnel, the main contents of this adjustment are as follows:
- Increase the basic salary. According to the position, grade, post and other factors, the basic salary standards of civil servants and personnel of public institutions are divided into 18 grades, and the basic salary standards of each grade are 1500 yuan, 1600 yuan, 1700 yuan, 1800 yuan, 1900 yuan, 2000 yuan, 2100 yuan, 2200 yuan, 2300 yuan, 2400 yuan, 2500 yuan, 2600 yuan, 2700 yuan, 2800 yuan, 2900 yuan, 3000 yuan, 3100 yuan and 3200 yuan. Compared with the previous adjustment, the basic salary standard of each grade has been increased by an average of 200 yuan.
- Adjust the standard of allowances and subsidies. According to the nature of work, regional differences, living standards and other factors, the allowance and subsidy standards for civil servants and personnel of public institutions are divided into five categories, and the allowance and subsidy standards for each category are 500 yuan, 600 yuan, 700 yuan, 800 yuan and 900 yuan respectively. Compared with the previous adjustment, the subsidy standard for each category has been increased by an average of $100.
- Improve the performance-based pay system. According to factors such as work performance and appraisal results, the performance pay of civil servants and personnel of public institutions is divided into five levels, and the proportion of performance pay to the basic salary of each grade is 50%, 60%, 70%, 80% and 90% respectively. Compared to the previous adjustment, the ratio of performance pay to base salary for each grade increased by an average of 10%.
The impact of this adjustment on teachers' income is mainly in the following two aspects:
- Teachers' income levels have increased. According to the above adjustments, teachers' basic salary, allowance subsidies and performance pay have all increased. Taking ordinary primary and secondary school teachers as an example, assuming that they belong to the basic salary standard of the 10th grade, the allowance subsidy standard of the 3rd category, and the performance salary scale of the 3rd grade, their monthly income before and after the adjustment is:
Before adjustment: after adjustment: 2400+700+2400×60%=4060 yuan2600+800+2600×70%=4620 yuan
From the above calculations, it can be seen that the adjusted monthly income of ordinary primary and secondary school teachers has increased by 560 yuan compared with before the adjustment, an increase of 13.8%. This is positive for improving teachers' income levels and quality of life.
- The teacher pay gap has narrowed. According to the above adjustments, teachers' basic salaries and allowances are distributed according to a unified standard, while performance-based pay is differentiated according to work performance. This means that the pay gap between teachers in the same district, in the same school segment, and in the same discipline is largely determined by their job performance. Job performance is evaluated by an objective and fair appraisal mechanism. This is beneficial to narrowing the income gap between teachers and promoting the stability and development of the teaching force.
To sum up, the impact of large-scale adjustment of civil servants' salaries on teachers' income mainly has the following two aspects:
- Teachers' income levels have increased
- The teacher pay gap has narrowed
Teachers should actively participate in social and public affairs and volunteer service activities. In this adjustment, the income gap of teachers has been narrowed, which is beneficial to promote social equity and justice. However, teachers should not be satisfied with their own small circle and ignore the general environment and needs of society. Teachers should broaden their horizons and horizons, pay attention to hot spots and issues in society, and participate in the construction and development of society. Teachers should use their professional advantages and knowledge resources to provide intellectual support and services to society. Teachers should actively participate in various forms of social and public affairs and volunteer service activities, such as poverty alleviation, volunteer teaching, environmental protection, charity, etc., to contribute to the society.
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