BEIJING — China is looking to innovate its measures to improve the treatment of middle school, primary school and kindergarten teachers, according to the Ministry of Education (MOE) at a press briefing on Feb 15.

The call came as a response to the shortage of teachers and a lack of guarantees for their positions at educational institutions of lower age levels, said Ren Youqun, an official with the ministry.

The MOE will prioritize the requirements in the development of the cause of education, raise the number of teachers in various ways and encourage the rotation of teachers in accordance with needs, he said.

One of the methods to increase the number of teachers is to provide more teachers with the treatment that is similar to that of the personnel at government-affiliated institutions by making full use of the unused quota of such positions in respective regions.

The ministry will also continue to improve the mechanism on safeguarding the treatment of teachers and make sure that policies on the treatment of teachers for compulsory education (primary school and junior high school) are well implemented, according to Ren.

Moreover, the MOE will further strengthen the construction of the ranks of teachers in rural and impoverished areas, with more targeted efforts to improve the situation in areas with extreme poverty, he added.