School authorities across various Chinese cities warned of possible teacher shortages as female tutors have a second child following the end of China’s one-child policy.
Among the cities where a female-teacher shortage is anticipated in Qingdao, reported the South China Morning Post. The shortage would likely hit primary and middle schools in the city in the province of Shandong as teachers avail of maternity leave at the same time.
A Qingdao school head said their school has four long-time female teachers who are expecting to give birth to their second babies now, and some of them are head teachers whose tasks include class management and imparting knowledge.
Because in many schools women teachers comprise 90 percent of the teaching force, the situation of several teachers going simultaneously on maternity leave place greater pressure on the school administration compared to new tutors having their first babies. While schools could hire substitute teachers, it could affect the academic performance of students, but some schools, in anticipation of simultaneously maternity leaves by experienced tutors, have begun training substitute teachers.
Meanwhile, outside the academe, car manufacturers in China are anticipating for the demand of bigger vehicles as families have a second child. At the yearly motor show in Beijing which opened on Monday, FAW Haima Automobile rolled out an SUV by having a couple and a son and daughter dance around the family vehicle to tell Chinese families they would need a bigger car.
Changan Automobile also launched a seven-seater minivan, the Changan Oushang, which the automaker manufactured for the two-child era. So far, Changan has received orders for over 60,000 units for the Oushang in the last four months since its launch.