BEIJING -- A policy designed to improve the well-being of rural teachers in China has benefited around 1.3 million in nearly 73,000 rural schools, the Ministry of Education (MOE) announced Thursday.

In 2023, China is set to recruit 52,300 university graduates to work as teachers in rural compulsory education schools located in central and western regions, in an effort to beef up the rural teaching workforce, Ren Youqun, head of the teacher affairs division of the MOE, said at a press conference.

Additionally, the country plans to dispatch 17,410 teachers to remote areas, areas with large ethnic minority populations, as well as old revolutionary base areas for educational assistance this year, Ren added.

China will expedite the building of dormitories for teachers in remote rural areas. As of the end of July 2023, more than 5 million units of government-subsidized rental housing had been completed. These units are capable of accommodating over 15 million individuals, including rural teachers.