China’s Professors Should Not Be Above Teaching Undergraduates

According to the Ministry of Education, university faculty members who do not teach undergraduates should not be granted the titles of professor or associate professor. Furthermore, if they do not engage in undergraduate courses for two successive years, they would no longer have the right to be considered for the positions. Meanwhile, consensus has been building in the field of education that professors need to take responsibility for undergraduate teaching.　　

But the teacher evaluation system in China prioritizes academic research and in general overlooks teaching, so faculty put most of their efforts into gaining research funding, getting papers selected for publication and winning research awards. 

Calling for professors to lecture undergraduates does not mean they must have the same amount of classes as younger faculty members, as conducting research is time-consuming, the same news article argued. Instead, there are many ways to communicate with undergraduates, such as holding regular lectures which would help students replenish their knowledge of the current curricula.

Besides, a good professor can have a great impact on student’s choices. For instance, according to a survey conducted by Peking University, 35.9 percent of students are not interested in their own majors and 46.6 percent of freshmen are confused about whether they have chosen the correct subject. But with the guidance of erudite professors, students could ignite their  enthusiasm toward their subjetc as well as having a better understanding of what role their majors would play in the future.