ABSTRACT
It has become a worldwide concern to prepare quality teachers as different countries strive for both education equity and education excellence at all levels and for all citizens in a period of globalization. Against that background, this paper focuses on Chinese teacher education, the largest teacher education system in the world, and its transformation along with the radical changes in social politics and economy. It does so by exploring several pivotal issues – how Chinese teacher education system attracts and selects talented would-be teachers; how those pre-service teachers are prepared through initial teacher education programmes to fulfil the commitment of quality education for all; and issues of accountability including the assessment and certification of trainees to ensure their readiness for taking up a teaching post. We conclude by considering teacher education development in China in its cultural, economic, political, historical, and professional contexts to suggest that government reforms that initially de-regulated and subsequently re-regulated should be seen as complementary rather than contradictory,
