The Chinese Ministry of Education Will Standardize the Complaint Handling Procedures for Teacher-Related Disputes

On September 4, the Chinese Ministry of Education held a press conference in Beijing to brief the public on the development of the teaching workforce. Wang Lei, Director of the Teacher Affairs Department of the Ministry of Education, said that the handling procedures for complaints and disputes involving teachers will be standardized, and a zerotolerance stance will be maintained toward fabricating facts and maliciously defaming teachers. Wang Lei said that the Ministry of Education will smooth channels for teachers to obtain legal consultation and assistance, and will promptly clear up false reports and restore teachers’ reputations; for acts such as malicious defamation, it will work with relevant departments to deal with them seriously in accordance with the law and hold the relevant personnel accountable. He also said that the relevant systems will be further improved and operational guidelines will be issued to help teachers better understand the boundaries and standards of educational discipline. At the same time, the Ministry of Education will continue to promote the building of teacher ethics and conduct, improve the mechanisms for education, assessment, supervision, and accountability, and emphasize that teacher ethics and conduct are the foremost standard.