BEIJING - The average salaries of teachers working in rural areas should be no lower than the average salaries of civil servants in the same region, Chinese authorities said Friday.

Additional payments will be provided for teachers of rural small-scale schools and boarding schools, as well as those working in areas with large ethnic-minority populations and in impoverished and remote areas, according to a set of guidelines to boost the number and quality of teachers in rural areas.

The guidelines were published on the website of the Ministry of Education (MOE) and were jointly formulated by the MOE and five other departments.

Subsidies for teachers in contiguous poverty-stricken areas should be ensured, the guidelines said, calling for improved benefits for rural teachers in terms of housing, medical services, and assistance.

Teachers who have been working in rural areas for a long time can also enjoy lower requirements in terms of obtaining higher professional titles, the guidelines said.