(Yicai) Aug. 17 -- With the decline in the number of new students, full-time kindergarten teachers in China decreased by about 219,300 last year.

There were 2.61 million full-time teachers in China’s preschool education sector in 2025, down from 2.83 million the year before, according to the latest National Education Development Statistical Bulletin released by the Ministry of Education.

Meanwhile, some colleges and universities that focus on cultivating preschool teachers have canceled related majors last year. For example, Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts stopped recruiting for art education and preschool education majors, and Shanxi University of Electronic Science and Technology revoked six majors related to preschool education.

Other colleges and universities are accelerating their transformation and adjustment. For instance, Zhumadian Preschool Education College last year expanded its non-education majors, such as intelligent manufacturing, digital media art, and modern services, while strengthening its main teacher education majors, including preschool education and early childhood education. It will add eight new non-teaching majors this year.

Moreover, multiple preschool teacher colleges and universities began to explore the elderly care field last year to cultivate talents suitable to provide elderly care services. For example, Guangzhou Preschool Teachers College added the health elderly care services and management major.

Editor: Futura Costaglione