ULAN BATOR, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia has prohibited olympiads and competitions among primary school students nationwide to reduce teachers' workload, local authorities said Wednesday.

Almost all schools in Mongolia, particularly primary ones, have been organizing various olympiads and competitions in recent years, said Mongolian Minister of Education, Culture, Science and Sports Yondonperenlei Baatarbileg at a press conference.

It is "one negative factor that affects teachers' effectiveness," Baatarbileg said.

"According to a recent national survey by a professional organization, teachers of general education schools in the country spend only up to 40 percent of working hours to perform their basic tasks or teach lessons," said the minister.

He added that the remaining hours are spent on fulfilling assignments given by schools' senior officials, making lesson plans and materials, and preparing students for olympiads and competitions.

According to the authorities, 40,000 teachers work in the country's education sector, with about 10,000 of them at primary schools.

Currently, the average monthly salary of Mongolian teachers in public schools are around 240 U.S. dollars.