In some areas of mainland China, teachers are required to report their whereabouts during the summer vacation period. For those teachers who leave their city of residence, they need to obtain approval from the school and the education bureau. Their personal passports are also kept under unified custody by their respective institutions. A community worker in Hengyang, Hunan province, informed reporters that the personnel management system originally implemented for epidemic prevention is still in place. Teachers leaving the city are required to report their movements, and if they plan to travel abroad, they need to apply to retrieve their passports.
According to archived data from China Digital Times, an article titled “Do Teachers Still Need to Report Leaving the Province?” was published on the WeChat official account “Between Teaching and Learning” on July 8th. The article revealed that some schools are requiring teachers to fill out a “Teachers Leaving the City Report Form,” specifying their destination, travel dates, contact information, and emergency contacts. These forms need to be approved by the grade leader and the deputy principal in charge and then archived by the school office. Even if teachers are just traveling to a neighboring province for a few days, they still need to report their movements at each level.
The article depicts a scenario where a teacher plans a trip to a neighboring province during the summer break but is faced with the cumbersome process of filling out and getting approval for the report form. This bureaucratic procedure has raised questions among teachers about the necessity of such stringent measures for a simple domestic trip.
Mr. Liu, a community worker in Hengyang, Hunan province, shared with Epoch Times that as summer vacation approaches, local community workers have been instructed to monitor teachers’ activities during the break to ensure they are not causing any disturbances. Measures have been put in place to track teachers’ movements to prevent them from wandering aimlessly during the holidays.
In a report authored by Professor Lu Dewen from the School of Sociology at Wuhan University in December 2025, it was noted that schools and government offices in a major northern city still require teachers and grassroots officials to fill out leaving-the-city report forms during holidays. Despite the original conditions no longer being relevant, the reporting system continued to be enforced.
Applications for leaving the city are generally approved; however, failure to report may result in penalties when authorities conduct inspections. The system of filling out forms and obtaining signatures at various levels is maintained as a control measure reliant on accountability and documentation.
Ms. Wang, who retired recently from a Beijing government entity, mentioned that certain employees were required to report their travel plans, with stricter restrictions imposed on international travel. For instance, senior executives who were previously allowed two overseas trips annually now face limitations to just one trip lasting 7 to 10 days or less. Moreover, teachers in Beijing are obligated to register if they plan to leave the city during summer, and visitors from other provinces visiting teachers or staying at their homes must also be registered with detailed personal information.
Ironically, the extensive layers of control measures seem contradictory to the Chinese Communist Party’s claims of implementing “reducing the burden” policies. Despite the Ministry of Education’s directives aimed at reducing workload for teachers during non-student school days, the continued imposition of detailed reporting and monitoring requirements contradicts the purported policies of easing teachers’ responsibilities.
An article from China Digital Times referenced a complaint made by an in-service teacher in Changbu County, Shaoyang City, Hunan province, on the local educational bureau’s restrictions on teachers leaving the city for private reasons. While some areas such as Changsha, Yueyang, and Zhuzhou in Hunan have relaxed approval processes for teachers traveling during summer and winter breaks, the freedom of movement for teachers varies under the same legal framework.
Mr. Tian, a lawyer in Hunan, expressed concerns to reporters regarding the internal restrictions by government bodies and business entities limiting individuals’ right to travel abroad, contravening the provisions of the Chinese Passport Law. He emphasized that only under legal procedures for handling specific cases can relevant authorities lawfully withhold an individual’s passport. However, in recent years, many institutions within the CCP system have implemented internal restrictions hindering personnel from lawful international travel, violating existing regulations.