ABSTRACT

The scope of the teacher education system in the People’s Republic of China is extensive. In 1994, there were 3,632 preservice training institutions at various levels with a yearly enrollment of 2.1 million trainees. A parallel in-service system enrolled another 0.7 million trainees. Yet, this massive training system has barely met the demand for the “mighty contingent of teachers” (Chinese Communist Party, 1985) required to sustain the even larger school system in both quantitative and qualitative terms. There is a range of serious policy dilemmas, organizational barriers, and socioeconomic factors that undermine the ability of the teacher education system to deliver its expected services to the nation.