In
1956, for schools for the blind and deaf-mutes,
the Ministry of Education set a funding standard
that is higher than that for common schools. It
also set salary scales for the principals and
teachers of such schools that are 15 percent higher
as encouragement. From the 1990s, a considerable
number of localities have increased the 15 percent
subsidy to 25 percent and included it in teachers'
pensions. To promote a faster development of special
education, the state in 1989 established a special
fund for special education, to which the central
government has appropriated 23 million yuan every
year as a special subsidy
for special education in different areas of the
country. Local governments have established
corresponding subsidy funds.
A total
of 33 secondary special education normal schools
(or teacher training centers) have been established
across the country. Teachers colleges and universities
in Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Chongqing and Xi'an
have established a special education speciality
to train special education teachers. Graduate
schools of some universities now enroll students
working for a master's degree in special education.
In short, a standardized system for the training
of special education teachers that is suited to
Chinese conditions has taken shape in China; and
so has a system providing on-the-job training
for special education teachers. In addition, Beijing
Teachers University and the Central Institute
of Education Science have established research
institutes on special education; and some provinces
and municipalities directly under the central
government have done the same.
In the
year of 2001, the staff number of special education
schools in China reached 38,000, and the number
of full time teacher reached 28,000 with increase
rates of 92 percent and 107 percent compared with
the numbers of 1990 respectively. Besides, there
were a great number of special education teachers
working in ordinary schools teaching special education
classes. These phenomena showed the gradual and
continuous expansion of our teacher team for special
education in China. In recent years, many kinds
of short-term training classes have been held
and the training of excellent teachers has also
been brought into the national "Teacher Project",
which enhanced the teaching capability of trained
teachers.
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