The Ministry of Education (MOE) recently announced a plan to call on retired teachers to provide assistance to higher education institutions (HEIs) in the less developed areas of Western China, with a view to employing available resources more effectively and promoting equity in education. Assistance will be prioritized for the most popular and in demand degree programs in each location.

The first phase of the project will start in 2020. Any retired teachers up to the age of 70 with the rank of Associate Professor or above from an MOE-affiliated HEI is eligible to take part. Those selected will be expected to provide guidance in a wide range of areas to help the development of local universities. Assistance can be offered in the form of teaching, pedagogical supervision, academic research and academic support. Other assistance may include short-term teaching, remote teaching, synchronous courses or lectures.

It is scheduled that by the end of this year 120 to 140 professors will be selected and work in China University of Petroleum-Beijing at Karamay, West Yunnan University of Applied Sciences and Tarim University.