Respect for teachers is a great credit to China: former Eton head

The public respect in China for teachers is "a great credit" to the country, a former headmaster of Britain's prestigious Eton College has said.

Eton College, founded in 1440, is a world-renowned independent boarding school for boys in Britain. It has educated 19 British prime ministers and many members of the British Royal Family, including Prince William and Prince Harry.

In an interview with Xinhua, Tony Little, who served as Eton's headmaster from 2002 to 2015, said he was very struck by the great respect that Chinese teachers enjoy from parents and students in the country.

"That couples with a very attractive Chinese philosophy of respect to age, so older people are valued and venerated in society," he said.

Teachers in China are held in the highest regard by parents and the public, according to a Global Teacher Status Index published in 2013 by the Varkey Foundation, a major international charitable organization focused on improving education.

The index compared attitudes to teachers in 21 major countries, including China, the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Japan, South Korea, Israel, Portugal, Greece, Brazil and others.

Eton College, Provost's Garden Photo:Eton College

"This is a great credit to China," Little said, "It is the only country in the world in the survey where teachers are perceived to be of the same status as doctors."

He expressed the hope that the Chinese people could help identify more really good teachers.

"Maybe it's a parent who is very impressed with the teacher of their child, or maybe it is a school that wishes to identify (a teacher)," he said.

He added that he wanted to see more Chinese teachers nominated for The Global Teacher Prize, which is dubbed "Nobel Prize for Teachers" by international educators.

The Global Teacher Prize is a one-million-U.S. dollar award presented annually to an exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to their profession.

"There will be in China, such a huge country, teachers who have given their lives, who have made a career out of helping young people," he told Xinhua.

The prize, which aims to raise the status of teaching globally, is also supported by Britain's Prince William, officially known as the Duke of Cambridge.

The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry has partnered with the Varkey Foundation on a variety of programs which support teachers and help the young people in some vulnerable communities.

Eton school boys Photo: Eton College

In the interview, the former Eton head noted that there are "impressive aspects" in both Chinese and British educational systems, and there is a great deal the two countries can achieve together.

"When I speak with Chinese educators, particularly Chinese head teachers, there is a commonality of vision about what we would like to achieve," he told Xinhua.

(APD)