Shanghai middle school teachers lead the world: OECD survey

Shanghai's secondary school teachers rank among the world's best, according to the latest Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS 2024) released by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development on Oct 7.

The survey shows that Shanghai's teachers stand out globally in key areas such as age, professional learning, teaching quality, adoption of new technologies, school climate, access to quality resources, and career attractiveness, surpassing peers in many major OECD countries.

The average age of secondary school teachers in Shanghai was 39.5 years in 2024, five years younger than the OECD average, making it one of the youngest teaching cohorts globally.

Shanghai teachers also had an average of 16.2 years of teaching experience, with 21.4 percent having taught for less than five years, compared with the OECD average of 17.9 percent. This reflects a faster pace of generational renewal in the teaching workforce.

Shanghai's educators are also at the forefront of digital transformation. About 53.5 percent of teachers use artificial intelligence for various teaching tasks, well above the OECD average of 36.3 percent.

They also express strong confidence in the positive role of digital tools and AI, believing such technologies help spark student interest and foster more effective collaboration.

Since its launch in 2008, the TALIS survey has been conducted four times, with the number of participating countries and regions growing from 24 to 55.

The survey provides key insights into teachers' professional development, teaching practices, and working environments to help shape education policies worldwide.

Shanghai took part in the survey in 2015, 2018, and 2024.