In the first half of 2023, a total of 11.44 million people across the country applied for teacher qualification certificates, which is an amazing statistic. In comparison, the number of university graduates that year was only 11.58 million, which shows how fierce the competition is for teaching qualifications. The seemingly low-threshold UGC examination has become the choice of many students to prepare for the "iron rice bowl", especially the normal colleges that are exempt from the unified examination and issue the UGC certificate, which seems to have an "iron rice bowl" after graduation, which has aroused widespread attention and discussion. This article will delve into the examination advantages of these normal students, as well as some current situations and trends in the education industry, analyze the pros and cons, and take you to understand this topic that has attracted much attention.
At a time when employment is becoming increasingly severe, the education industry is regarded as a relatively stable "iron rice bowl", so more and more students are looking to the teaching certificate. Many students do not love the education industry, but because of the pressure of employment, they want to leave a career for themselves. The UGC examination has a relatively low threshold and can be applied for by a wide range of students, including non-normal students, and has become an alternative for many people.
Expanding: Although the education industry is known as the "iron rice bowl", there is also fierce competition and pressure behind it. The teaching profession has both stability and educational responsibility. Therefore, choosing to pursue a career in education requires pursuing values that are associated with a passion for the profession. However, the current employment situation is quite challenging for many university graduates, so choosing to apply for a teaching qualification has become one of the relatively stable options. Although some of the students do not aspire to pursue a career in education, it still attracts a large number of applicants, considering the relatively low threshold for the UGC examination. This phenomenon also reflects a microcosm of the employment pressure in the real society.
The relatively low threshold of the UGC examination allows more students to participate in it. Compared with other majors, the UGC examination does not require too much academic qualifications, and even junior college students can apply for it. However, this low threshold has also sparked discontent among normal students. Some normal students feel that it is unfair that after four years of systematic study, they have not shown a clear advantage in exams and employment. Some students advocate abolishing non-normal students from education, but this is not realistic in the current situation of the education industry. The education department is more inclined to encourage more talents with modern educational concepts to join the industry, which is one of the reasons why non-normal students are supported to apply for teaching qualifications.
Expansion: Compared with other professional qualification examinations, the low threshold of the teacher qualification examination has attracted the attention of many candidates. This phenomenon not only reflects the demand for the education industry, but also provides employment opportunities for more volunteers. There are no excessively high academic requirements for UGC examinations, which allows many specialist students to pass the examinations to obtain qualifications. However, this treatment has caused dissatisfaction among some normal students. These students have accumulated more professional knowledge and skills through long-term professional study, but find that they do not show a significant competitive advantage in the examination and employment links, and this gap leads to their complaints. In this context, there are arguments for the disqualification of non-teacher students from educational work, but this view is not accepted in the current educational policy framework. The education department prefers to build a team of teachers with modern educational concepts, so it supports non-normal students to apply for teaching qualification certificates.
Although there is a certain amount of controversy about the fairness of the UGC examination, in fact, normal students are not without their own advantages. In some normal colleges, after passing the second-level or ** certification, students can be exempted from the unified examination and directly obtain the teacher qualification certificate. Students who have passed the Level 2 certification can skip the unified teacher qualification certificate interview and participate in the interview organized by the school itself. For the majors that have passed the ** certification, students can be exempted from the written examination and interview of the UGC examination and directly participate in the examination organized by the school. These schools have lower difficulty and higher pass rates for their own exams, thus providing a more convenient way for normal students to obtain a UGC certificate. In addition, for publicly-funded normal students, they can be exempted from all examinations, and they can get an "iron rice bowl" after graduation, and they can directly prepare for employment.
Expansion: Despite the controversy surrounding the UGC examination, normal students are not without an advantage in the competition. Once the normal major of some normal colleges has passed the certification of the relevant departments, students can directly obtain the teaching qualification certificate, eliminating the cumbersome unified examination process. Through the Level 2 certification major, students can skip the unified teacher qualification certificate interview and directly participate in the school's own interview session. For those who have passed the ** certification, they can be exempted from the written examination and interview of the UGC examination, and only need to participate in the professional test organized by the school. These internal exams are relatively simple and have a more encouraging pass rate, providing a smoother pathway to UGC certificates for normal students. For publicly-funded normal students, they can enjoy the preferential policy of direct admission without examination, and they can directly become teachers after graduation to stabilize their employment prospects.
1. **Certified majors: Chemistry of Beijing Normal University, Chemistry of East China Normal University, Primary Education of Northeast Normal University, Preschool Education of Central China Normal University, Mathematics and Applied Mathematics of Southwest University.
2. Second-level certification majors: primary education, educational technology, English major, physics, history major of Capital Normal University, geography science, educational technology, applied psychology of Tianjin Normal University, preschool education and physical education of Hebei Normal University.
Expansion: The teaching quality and competency of teachers' colleges, which are exempt from the UEC and issue UGC certificates, are excellent in terms of accredited majors. The most certified majors include chemistry, primary education, preschool education, mathematics and other majors in many well-known normal colleges, providing students with a wider range of choices. The scope of majors that have passed the Level 2 certification is also relatively wide, covering primary education, English, physics, history, geographical science, applied psychology and other fields, providing students with a more diverse subject structure. These professional certifications enable normal students to have stronger competency and competitiveness in the education industry, and lay a solid foundation for future employment.
In the context of the continuous increase in employment in the education industry, the teacher qualification certificate, as an "iron rice bowl", is highly sought after by the majority of students. The normal college that issues the UGC certificate without the unified examination provides students with a more convenient way to obtain the certificate, especially the majors that have passed the ** certification have created more advantages for students. However, while pursuing employment stability, students should also stay true to their original aspirations, integrate their passion for education into their career development, contribute to the cause of education, and achieve a win-win situation for individuals and society. 2609 words.