BEIJING, April 29 -- The Ministry of Education, amidst a wide speculation that China would abolish the normal education system, denied the rumor on Wednesday, saying the ministry has never discussed it.

    Wang Xuming, a spokesman for the ministry, said media reports on this are groundless and the century-old teacher training system would not be terminated.

    The spokesman said reforms of teacher education are in the pipeline to reinforce the system.

    Recent news reports claimed China is preparing to abolish the normal education in the course of reforming over 200 normal universities and colleges.

    The reports also said that the Ministry of Education was investigating the feasibility of a uniform test and certification of teacher qualifications to replace current normal university education.

    Under the current normal education system, teachers' college students are paying a fairly low tuition, presuming they would become teachers after graduation. In practice, a large percentage of them choose to seek jobs in other professions, resulting in an shortage of qualified teachers in many schools, particularly those in the underdeveloped regions.

    (Source:chinadaily.com.cn)