System doubted as teacher, 57, died still as a lecturer. Yan Caihong, a lecturer from the School of Electronics, Information and Electrical Engineering of Shanghai Jiaotong University, died of lung cancer on March 12.

　　Yan Caihong (L) instructs his students at Shanghai Jiaotong University. Yan passed away on March 12. [Photo]

　　Unlike many other university teachers, Yan’s death was followed not only by mourning among his students and friends but also criticism of and disputes about the achievement evaluation system for teachers in Chinese universities.

　　When Yan passed away, he was 57 years old. For most teachers of this age in Chinese universities, there are only two or three years left before their retirement and most of them retire as professors or associate professors.

　　But as an electronic circuit analysis teacher in the school, who had worked in the university for more than 15 years, Yan was still a lecturer when he passed away.

　　The reason why he was not promoted to professor lies in the current evaluation standards and system in the university - he had never published any academic articles in academic journals recognized by the system.