BEIJING, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- The number of full-time teachers in China increased by around 3.8 million over the past decade, statistics from the Ministry of Education showed.

The number rose from 14.63 million in 2012 to 18.44 million in 2021, according to the ministry.

The number of supervisors for candidates pursuing master's degrees grew from about 229,000 to 424,000 over the past decade, and the number of supervisors for candidates pursuing doctoral degrees went up from 69,000 to 132,000, the data showed.

The ministry said that teachers' salaries and social status had improved in the past 10 years, with the average salary of primary and middle school teachers not lower than that of local civil servants.

More than 1.3 million rural teachers had benefited from a special subsidy program offering them extra living allowances, said the ministry.