China’s international schools face dire fate if zero-Covid drives away teachers, BritCham warns
- April survey of more than 200 businesses finds that turnover rate among teachers in coming school year could surpass 40 per cent
- Foreign talent is being driven away, and businesses are struggling to find new workers as Beijing sticks to its strict lockdown and containment measures
International schools across China may not survive the loss of teachers resulting from lockdowns and strict Covid-19 measures that are driving away foreign talent, according to the head of the British Chamber of Commerce (BritCham) in China.
“It could just wipe out international schools, and it’s not just the schools, per se. It’s about the ecosystem,” said Steven Lynch, managing director at BritCham in China.
His warning came as survey results released by BritCham this week showed that a high concentration of British companies operating in China’s education sector expects to see a loss of teachers.
Forecasts for the upcoming 2022-23 school year indicate an expected turnover rate of at least 40 per cent among teachers in international schools that require at least one parent to hold a foreign passport, according to the survey results, released on Wednesday in the latest British Business in China: Covid-19 Impact Report.