By Zhou Xiaosong and Xu Wentao
XIAMEN, Oct. 10 -- A veteran college was recently set up in Xiamen, south China's Fujian Province, with the first training class launched as scheduled.
The Xiamen Veteran College was co-founded by the Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Veterans Affairs and the Jimei University, with the aims to train veterans into qualified teachers, and cultivate national defense lecturers for educating the youth. In addition, the college will also provide multi-level continuing education courses such as academic education and vocational training for veterans.
As the first batch of trainees, 60 veterans from all walks of life will start a one-year full-time study in the college for free. Aged under 33, all the trainees possess full-time bachelor's degrees or above.
As introduced by heads of the PLA Xiamen Municipal Garrison Command, in recently years, 80% of the veterans in Xiamen city are either college students or have a bachelor degree, a considerable number of whom are from normal universities or have teacher qualification certificates. With the experience acquired from their service in the military, they are sure to soon grow into "veteran teachers" with both civilian knowledge and military discipline after professional training in the schools.
Since June this year, the military and civilian authorities of Xiamen city have jointly issued a work plan for the training of veteran teachers, which specifies that from 2023 on, no less than 50 teaching posts shall be designated for veterans each year, expanding the channels for veterans to teach in schools.
