A former north China city education chief has been expelled from the Communist Party of China for allegedly taking bribes to illegally transfer and employ teachers.

An official with the Hebei Provincial Government said Tuesday that Feng Yunsheng, former director of the Education Bureau of Wu'an City, had also been referred for prosecution after an investigation by the provincial government.

The municipal education bureau, which usually transferred teachers during the summer vacation, moved 253 teachers in 2009, including 148 rural teachers transferred to cities, the official said.

The timing and number seemed normal, but the transfer decisions were made by Feng alone, without reference to and consideration by the bureau's executive committee, the official said.

The transfers were processed by Yang Shubing, the bureau's director of human resources, who was given a warning by the CPC and was removed from the post of director of human resources, the official said.

Feng and Yang were allegedly involved in the illegal transfer or employment of 29 teachers, including transferring 10 unqualified teachers from rural to urban areas, and the appointments of 13 unqualified persons as teachers, and violating regulations to recruit six teachers.

The transferred teachers were sent back to their original positions and the unqualified teachers were sacked while others remained in their new posts to "ensure normal teaching order," the official said.

Feng had allegedly accepted eight bribes worth a total 870,000 yuan (128,000 U.S. dollars) to transfer and recruit teachers, the official said.

The provincial government had appealed staffs of the educational system to learn the laws on education to avoid similar cases, the official said.