Education Minister, Zhou Ji, said recently at a forum that Lanzhou University, one of the leading Universities in the country's western regions, is in great need of lecturers and professors. The minister pointed out this was rarely seen among the country's leading universities.

China Youth Daily quoted Zhou Ji's comment, and said the condition of Lanzhou University showed that there's a great scarcity in education resources in universities and colleges in western regions. The paper then interviewed the President of Lanzhou University, Zhou Xuhong on the issue.

The president explained that higher education institutions in the country's western regions are losing their students and teachers at the same time due to the mediocre regional economy and harsh natural environment.

Since the payment level is much lower in these regions, the university president said students are reluctant to go to local universities, and many teachers and professors quit their jobs and moved to the better off eastern regions.

The newspaper suggests that a sound mechanism should be built to reverse the trend.

The university president told the paper to build such a mechanism, better payment and subsidies are needed first. In the meantime, top professors in eastern regions should be encouraged by beneficiary protocols to teach in colleges in the west. A preferential assessment mechanism should be given to education professionals to help them stay in the underdeveloped western regions.