The Guangdong Education Authority organized a job fair at South China Normal University Saturday, in hopes of recruiting college graduates for rural teaching jobs.

The education bureaus from 87 different counties and regions surrounding the Pearl River Delta are hoping to fill 1,400 positions at the job fair.However, compared to the average job fair with thousands of students rushing to fill a few positions, few graduates attended, reports the Nanfang Daily.

Starting this year, college graduates from Guangdong Province can receive tuition rebates by working as teachers in the countryside, according to a newly issued regulation from the local education authority.

Based on an average annual tuition of 6,000 yuan, each undergraduate would receive 24,000 yuan for five-years of service as a rural teacher.

Some students told reporters that 24,000 yuan is not enough for five-years of service in the rural area. They prefer trying to find a position in the more developed Pearl River Delta region of south China's Guangdong Province.

A teacher surnamed Luo from Meizhou city's Jiaoling County said that most rural schools are in urgent need of personnel. Last year, his county invited 7 graduates for rural posts, but none of the graduates accepted.

"The monthly income is only 1,090 yuan; much lower than an average salary in the Pearl River Delta. The tuition rebate will only attract graduates who grew up in the poor rural areas." Luo said.

A provincial education department official said that the rural schools in Guangdong need 17,000 teachers and that college graduates can begin a career in the countryside much more easily than in the fiercely competitive urban areas.