The Ministry of Education has decided to assess and register teachers' qualifications periodically, based on a unified national standard, the "Beijing Times" reports.

Two pilot provinces will be selected for the scheme in September and October, with six more provinces joining the plan next year. The project is expected to be rolled out across the country over the next three years, according to a press conference held by the ministry.

The measure only covers newly appointed teachers from nurseries, primary schools and high schools, with currently employed teachers excluded, said Xu Tao, director of the Department of Teacher Education with the Ministry of Education.

The decision will change a long-lasting situation that China lacked a national standard for teachers' qualifications and no supervision on them. Thus, the scheme is especially necessary due to the fact that teaching is often a permanent occupation.

The evaluation list includes work load, teaching quality and ethics, with an emphasis of supervising teachers' moral standards every five years. Failure to meet the required professional ethics and moral standard will result in dismissal, he added.

"Those teachers who fail will be required to quit," added Xu. "Because the policy is relatively sensitive, we will implement it smoothly."