SHANGHAI — A group of foreign teachers in Shanghai discussed efforts to internationalize local schools and improve the city’s soft power during an event Thursday.

The gathering was jointly hosted by the municipal government and education authorities in the city’s Changning District, home to one-third of Shanghai’s foreign residents. More than 40 foreign teachers work full-time in the district’s public schools, according to Chen Dejiang, deputy director of Changning’s international education institute.

Alan Smith, from the United Kingdom, has been teaching English at Shanghai No.3 Girls’ High School for 10 years. He teaches students from grades six through eight and spoke about his experiences with the “double reduction” policy announced last year.

“A lot of the policy is about reducing the amount of homework so that the kids can have more time and less pressure,” he told Sixth Tone. “So far it hasn’t affected us a lot. But I was aware that the students are always quite stressed anyway. They have quite a high workload, so I’m reluctant to add more homework.”

Andrew McGillivray from Yan’an Middle School said the policy hasn’t affected the course he teaches, which he describes as “a complementary subject.”

“It goes along with the Chinese science curriculum,” said McGillivray, who switched jobs from an international school to a public school three years ago. “The students don’t have to take a big exam in my class.”

He added that the policy frees up the students for activities outside of school work, but “it’s too early to tell the changes.” McGillivray said most local parents want their children to be able to speak English well “because it’s the language you can use to communicate internationally.”

“I feel lucky in terms of job,” he added, referring to the employment crisis in the tutoring sector left by the double reduction campaign. “But I have always preferred to work in a public school compared with a private one. Everyone is in the same team, and it’s all about education rather than marketing.”

Other teachers gave insights on how the city could improve its local schools.

Kirkland Arizona Kenny, who teaches English and project-based learning, suggested a better communication mechanism between homeroom teachers and the foreign staff, as the former spends more time with the students.

“Foreign teachers could be connected through a team with the homeroom teacher and the Chinese English teacher, so we have a clear idea of what’s going on in this class — we can better serve students if they have special needs or specific education plans,” he said. “If I actively search for such information, it’s not that easy because everybody is busy.”

(Header image: A foreign teacher interacts with children during a book fair in Shanghai, Nov. 18, 2017. VCG)