Falling birth rate, Shanghai primary schools have more teachers than students

A primary school in central Shanghai is drawing attention after it had just 22 students this year, reflecting the impact of China's falling birth rate on the education system.

Sanqiao Primary School in Shanghai has fewer students than teachers, as a low birth rate affects the entire Chinese education system - Photo: SCMP

According to the South China Morning Post on August 30, Tam Kieu Primary School in Pudong, central Shanghai (China), currently has more teachers than students - 23 teachers and 22 students - despite being located in one of the largest cities in the country.

This information was announced in April, but only "stormed" Chinese social networks last week, sparking much debate about how the population decline is affecting the education system of the country of a billion people.

Although Tam Kieu is considered a special case, the nationwide decline in birth rates has forced a series of kindergarten closures in recent years and is now spreading to primary schools.

In 2024, the number of kindergartens in China decreased by more than 20,000 compared to the previous year, and the number of children attending kindergarten also decreased by more than 5 million.

Pudong District Government Student Admissions and Examination Center confirmed that the school data is accurate.

Each school can only enroll students within its designated area, and for Tam Kieu Primary School, "the number of school-age children in this area is actually only that much," said a center representative.

In addition, the decline in students here is also more serious because many residential areas in the school's zoning area have recently been cleared and relocated.

According to data from the Shanghai Education Commission, the total number of first-graders enrolled in primary schools in the city in April was just over 171,000, down about 30,000, or 15 percent, from the previous school year.

In Guangzhou, another Chinese megacity, the situation is similar: primary schools will enroll a total of 240,100 students in 2024, down 32,400 from the previous year, or nearly 12%.

China’s birth rate has been plummeting since 2016, when the government allowed couples to have two children. The number of births per 1,000 people fell from 13.57 in 2016 to 6.77 in 2024, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

However, education expert Xiong Bingqi said the recent decline in the number of newborns mainly affects kindergartens rather than primary schools.

"Based on the infant data of the years, the full impact on the number of primary school students will only be truly visible from next year," he said, proposing a long-term solution of reducing class size, from the current average of 38 students per primary school class to 20-25 students to improve teaching quality.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ti-le-sinh-giam-truong-tieu-hoc-o-thuong-hai-co-giao-vien-nhieu-hon-hoc-sinh-20250830141914669.htm