China has ensured that the salaries of public primary and middle school teachers are not lower than those of local government officials in the same region, the Ministry of Education said on Sept 1.

Tian Zuyin, head of the ministry's office of national education inspection, said that as one of the top priorities for education inspection work last year, all 2,846 counties and districts in the country had promised that teachers' salaries should not be lower than those of government officials.

Based on its monitoring, all local governments had kept the promise and are working on establishing a long-term mechanism for adjusting the salaries of teachers in primary and middle schools in line with those of government officials, Tian told a news conference.

In the past, some local governments offered year-end subsidies to government officials, but not teachers, he said.

The office has taken various steps to make sure local governments give teachers their due salaries, including publicizing local governments with slow progress, having talks with government heads, opening public hotlines and conducting unannounced inspections, he said.

China's first guideline on education inspection and accountability took effect on Sept 1 to ensure the country's educational laws, regulations, guidelines and policies can be properly implemented at the grassroots.

Local governments, related departments, schools and other educational institutions, as well as related staff members, shall be held accountable for activities that hamper the development of education, it said.

The guideline categorizes those activities into six types, including lack of resolve and commitment in implementing national education policies, poor fulfillment of educational responsibilities, irregularities in running educational institutions and major decreases in education quality.

Higher-level government inspection offices can hold lower-level governments and public schools accountable through public criticism, having talks and administrative punishment. The main administrators of lower governments and public schools can be held accountable through public criticism, having talks, administrative punishment, or being handed over to law enforcement authorities and supervisory commissions, it said.

In addition to those punishments, private schools and tutoring institutions can be fined, ordered to stop student enrollment, and have their operating permits and business licenses revoked.

Fu Ming, a senior official at the Sichuan Provincial Education Department, said the provincial education inspection office has held talks with mayors, county heads and other government officials on increasing the salaries of primary and middle school teachers.

It has also asked some city Party chiefs and mayors to implement special working mechanisms to ensure teachers' salaries are adjusted to match those of government officials, he said.