BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- China plans to send more retired teachers to its central and western regions to help improve education there, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said Wednesday.

The plan is to enlist 4,500 teachers and headmasters who have retired from elementary and middle schools, Ren Youqun, an MOE official in charge of teachers' work, said at a news conference.

They will teach in 18 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, he added.

The ministry will also send more than 300 retired professors and associate professors to the western part of the country, said the official.

They will be selected from 75 colleges and universities in more developed regions, said Ren. "Ten colleges and universities in the western region are expected to benefit from the program."

Almost 10,000 retired teachers and headmasters have been recruited to teach in elementary and junior middle schools since 2018 when the program was launched, according to Ren. Support for colleges and universities started in 2020.