Shanghai middle school teachers are among the world’s most qualified, according to a survey by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Teachers from 37 other countries and regions were part of the survey. International Channel Shanghai reporter Zhang Ningben reports.

The Teaching and Learning International Survey, or TALIS, covered nearly 4,000 teachers from about 200 randomly selected middle schools in Shanghai, and found 98.5 percent have at least a bachelor’s degree, well above the international average of 92.7 percent.

It also found that 98 percent have studied educational methodology, slightly above the 94 percent average, and 96 percent have mastered the disciplines they are teaching, compared with an international average of 90 percent.

More than 99 percent of Shanghai teachers said they received orientation when they became a teacher, far higher than the international average of 80 percent.

The first TALIS survey was conducted in 2008 to assess teachers’ professional development, teaching practices, and working environments in 24 countries. A second survey was conducted between 2013 and 2015, and Shanghai participated for the first time at the beginning in 2015. It was the only city in China surveyed, while survey for other countries were conducted nationwide.

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