BEIJING -- China will train village teachers to teach a broader variety of subjects to cover for a shortage of teaching staff, said a senior education official on Tuesday.

Liu Limin, vice minister of education, said at a press conference that the biggest challenge facing village schools was the insufficient number of teachers, particularly of music, physical education, art, foreign languages and computer science.

China wants versatile teachers who will be able to perform multiple roles, just like general practitioners in the medical field, Liu said, citing a guideline the State Council issued on keeping the development of compulsory education in villages commensurate with that in cities at county level.

The guideline set the objective of compulsory eduction developing at the same pace as urbanization by 2020, meaning significant progress must be achieved in village elementary schools, junior high schools and boarding schools.

It also said village school teachers should enjoy a steadily increasing income.