The Ministry of Education recently launched a pilot program aimed at cultivating leading basic education teaching talents for rural elementary and secondary schools in the central and western regions.

According to the announcement, a number of excellent basic education teachers with high quality teaching capabilities have been selected and are being encouraged to explore innovative educational ideas and methods. These talents are expected to take the leading role in improving the teaching quality in rural schools in the central and western regions.

The teachers will be responsible for not only daily teaching in local schools, but also education reform in rural areas.

The first pilot program of rural chief teachers is being launched in four provinces: Anhui, Henan, Shaanxi and Gansu. Some rural elementary and secondary school teachers, who are Chinese, math and English teachers, have been appointed as chief teachers for three years.

Towns and villages with less than 100 professional elementary and secondary school teachers should establish one chief teacher's post; towns and villages with 100 to 200 professional elementary and secondary school teachers should establish two chief teachers' posts and so on.