Compulsory educators in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, have recently seen their incomes remarkably raised by over one thousand yuan per month, a biggest ever increase in years.

The China News website reports that the average income of a teacher in the city is now no lower than that of a local civil servant in the similar category following the income increase. Retired teachers' incomes have also gone up by the same level.

In early February this year, China's Ministry of Education ordered a practice of performance related pay system be followed nationwide. In line with the system, teachers of compulsory schools enjoy a two-part salary, with 70 percent of the performance related pay based on teacher's levels of expertise and 30 percent of it based the teacher's performances. The former part is relatively fixed, while the latter is not.

Wan Jian, the principal of Zhuque Primary School in Xi'an, explains the thirty percent part payment is not taken for granted. It is used as an encouragement to stimulate teachers' enthusiasm in their daily teaching.

The assessment of the teachers is based on their comprehensive abilities, including helping slower students to catch up and showing love and care to them.

The percentage of students who enter senior high school will not be related to teachers' performance pay scales. If any teachers think their performance is not being judged fairly, they can appeal to the school's administration for revision.