But the schools still need more teachers.

Ma Yingcai, an official with the Culture and Sports Bureau of Tongxin township of Wuzhong city in Ningxia, said 373 teachers have been sent there since 2006 but more than 500 were still needed.

"There are 59 elementary schools here. But we only have 41 professional English teachers and two professional teachers of information technology," said Xu Xuejiang, deputy director of the Education Bureau in Pingluo township in Ningxia.

"Education in rural areas is the most important thing and it isa weak link in China. Shortages of teachers will have a negative influence on China's development if the problem is left unsolved," said Ding Jiya, deputy director of Ningxia Normal University.

These teachers have become the backbone of education in rural areas -- and the general level and standards of education have been raised because of their contributions.

"Students' scores in mathematics in the class which Yang Liguo teaches ranks No. 3 in Haiyuan township, which is a record high for our school," said Tian Yanhu, headmaster of Jiatang Middle School in Haiyuan township in Zhongwei city, Ningxia. Yang was among the first batch of graduates sent to teach at the school. Now the school has 11 "special position teachers".

The project also helps to ease unemployment during the present economic downturn.

About 6.1 million college students graduated in China this year, 64.4 percent of whom have not found a job, according to a survey carried out by China's Institute of Social Surveys in early July.

In Ningxia a teacher's monthly salary is 1,580 yuan (US$231.2), a pretty good wage by local standards.

In Ningxia this year, 16,000 people competed for 3,000 jobs as teachers in rural areas, which means each job has more than five applicants. Some of the applicants came from prestigious colleges such as Beijing Normal University.

Undergraduates and junior college students have to pass written tests and face an interview before they are selected, while postgraduates have only an interview.

The written test is designed to check the applicants' basic knowledge and also relevant professional knowledge. Those who are interviewed are required to give an impromptu lecture.

"Teaching in rural areas is hard, but it enables us to accumulate lots of experience when we are young," said Zhang Dandan, a graduate major in software engineering who applied for a teaching position.

(Xinhua News Agency August 18, 2009)