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China has been facing an accelerating decline in births, and this could cause millions of teachers to lose their jobs in the next 10 years.
Since 2017, the number of newborn babies in China has been in free fall. The number of children attending kindergartens saw its first decline in nearly two decades in 2021.
If classes remain at the same levels, there will be a surplus of 1.5 million primary school teachers and 370,000 middle school teachers by 2035.
Local governments have been getting rid of some education degree programmes to avoid having too many teachers who cannot find a job.
Schools might reduce class sizes to avoid lay-offs, which would allow teachers more time with each student, said Maggie Chen, who is a teacher.
According to Huang Bin, a professor of education, fewer children would also mean less competition for schools, which may ease anxiety for students and parents.
