One of my students, while visiting a middle school for her student teaching, was shocked to hear one of the teachers mixing up "he and "she" during a lesson. So, it's a problem with deep roots. It bothers me that a putonghua teacher will quickly correct the "ta" mix-up, but an English teacher just lets the he/she error slip by. It's so basic!
RE: Burning questions about teaching English in China #1: He said, she said