Blns spent on better living standards for rural teachers

Some 6.6 billion yuan ($1.06 billion) has been spent by the central government constructing better living quarters for urban-educated teachers working in rural areas and needy regions since 2010, according to the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Education over the weekend.

The goal is to retain better-skilled teachers in rural areas, stabilize the teaching staff and balance the education opportunities between urban and rural students.

The commission said 6,069 rural schools have benefited from the project in over 20 provinces and autonomous regions in Central and West China. Around 4.43 million square meters of living space have been built or is under construction that will be home to 157,000 urban-educated teachers who have volunteered to work in rural areas.

Tens of thousands of urban-educated teachers have relocated to rural areas mostly in central and western provinces and autonomous regions in the country. Poor living conditions there have hindered the retention of many teachers who head for working in the city's when their contracts expire.

The living quarters that are barely 35 square meters include a bathroom, a kitchen, a bedroom and a living room.