Recently, a kindergarten in Yinghuaxiang, Jiangbei District, Chongqing, issued a teacher recruitment announcement, requiring applicants to have a master’s degree in early childhood education and relevant qualifications. This announcement has sparked controversy online.
According to Jupai News, the “Yinghuaxiang Kindergarten in Jiangbei District, Chongqing” recently published a recruitment notice on its public account, specifying that applicants must possess a master’s degree in early childhood education and relevant qualifications, as well as a teaching certificate and a Level 2 Mandarin certificate or above. The high academic requirements have been questioned for being too demanding.
On April 23, a staff member of the kindergarten responded to this by stating that the previous academic requirements for teacher recruitment were at the undergraduate level, but this year the standards have been raised with a master’s degree becoming a mandatory requirement.
The staff explained that this recruitment is for positions in public institutions, and the academic requirements are a unified regulation of the education system in Jiangbei District, not a specific requirement set by the kindergarten itself.
According to the “List of Open Recruitment Positions for Public Institutions” released on the official website of the Chongqing Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, all four public kindergartens in Jiangbei District in 2025 require postgraduate qualifications in early childhood education, as well as the attainment of the relevant level of teaching certificate and a Level 2 Mandarin certificate or above.
Many netizens have raised doubts, questioning why kindergarten teachers need to hold master’s degrees, stating remarks like “Do kindergarten teachers need master’s degrees for teaching children to sing, dance, and play?”, “Are they conducting academic research in kindergartens?”, “In today’s society, it is not a myth that a cannon shot can kill a fly. Let postgraduates do some research, is it necessary?”, among others.
Some comments include, “Such an insult to master’s and doctoral degrees.”, “Isn’t this undervaluing talents?”, “How much is the salary per month for a postgraduate?”, “Why not require a Ph.D. after postgraduate?”, “Ridiculous.”, “It’s becoming more and more frightening in this society.”, “Given these requirements, are parents not expected to pursue education and ‘lie flat’? Employers should lower their requirements first to be reasonable.”
This controversial recruitment standard for kindergarten teachers has stirred up debates online about the value of qualifications and societal expectations regarding educational levels in the teaching field.