Beginning this year, primary and middle schools in the eight districts of Beijing will be introducing an employment contract system for newly hired teachers, sources from the city's education administration said.

The system will be gradually implemented among other schools and universities to encourage fair competition for teaching talent, Beijing Youth Daily reported.

The move has drawn praise from the presidents of some universities, said the newspaper. "The effort, to some extent, is a pioneering improvement of the personnel system in schools," said Xue Huanbai, an official with the Personnel Department of the Ministry of Education.

The employment-contract system has been advocated in the recent few years as a way to get instructors to improve their teaching skills. Each school can have its own plan for implementing such system, Xue said.

A hallmark of China's educational system has been lifelong tenure of teachers. But it has meant that some teachers simply regarded teaching as a job, and taught with no skill or enthusiasm, she said.

Three months ago, a nationwide teaching qualification system was established.Under the programme, teachers must pass established standards before they assume their posts.