Research On The Problem Of Compulsory Education Teachers Mobility In The View Of Human Capital Property Rights

In recent years, a series of policies and regulations have been issued under the efforts of the Chinese government to improve teachers’ status and living conditions. But historical factors and economic policies gave compulsory education a trend of polarization among different regions, urban and rural areas, and different schools, which further brought about the one-way upward flow of compulsory education teacher resources. Besides, rather than teachers’ intrinsic value or their basic economic pursuit as an "economic man with bounded rationality", their instrumental value and selfless dedication are much more referred to by the academia and the government bound by the existing ideas, which has led to the current disorder and endless disputes in the flow of teachers. Therefore it is of both great theoretical and practical significance to analyze the causes for the flow of compulsory education teachers from the perspective of human capital property rights and the corresponding countermeasures on the basis of that.Based on the theories of human capital property rights, this study uses document method and comparative method to conduct interviews and field research in remote towns and villages with outstanding teacher flow problems in Central and Western China, focusing on compulsory education teachers’ expectations for the flow and the intended directions, and also the key factors and reasons that matter, as well as their attitudes towards the related policies.The result shows a phenomenon in less developed areas in China, that the teachers’ expectation of flow is high and some of them are even ready for action. The one-way upward flow of teachers from less developed or rural areas and ordinary schools towards developed or urban areas and key schools, is showing a negative impact on the daily functioning of disadvantaged schools. Currently the main features of the flow of compulsory education teachers are, respectively, one-way flow within career, disorder of flow, serious brain drain, and endless disputes over the flow. And the reasons for these problems are various. The disorder of human capital ownership results in teachers’ one-way upward flow. Lack of human capital income rights leads to the serious brain drain. The disorder in transferring the right to use human capital causes disputes over the flow of teachers. And the fallacy in residual claim of human capital brings about the irrational flow of teachers.The rational flow of compulsory education teachers bears upon the stability of all teaching staff, the quality improvement of compulsory education, and the balanced development of education and achievement of educational equity. This paper puts forward the countermeasures to the irrational flow of compulsory education teachers from the perspective of human capital property rights, while making clear the intrinsic values of teachers are supposed to be respected and the rational benefits to be claimed. First of all, the legal status of teachers should be appropriately defined so as to make clear the national ownership of teacher human capital. Secondly, the right to use teacher human capital is supposed to be divided reasonably to create conditions for the rational flow of teachers. Thirdly, incomes of teachers in compulsory education should be adjusted to motivate teachers to flow rationally. Lastly, the right to share residual is to be improved to promote the rational flow of teachers.