Almost all school principals in a southern China city took bribes in a corruption racket led by the city's education director, it was disclosed yesterday.

More than 100 head teachers in Yingde City of Guangdong Province surrendered to the local anti-corruption authority in July 2008 during an investigation into Lai Laixin, Yingde's former education director.

The head teachers were suspected of accepting bribes from school uniform suppliers, the Yangcheng Evening News quoted Yingde's anti-corruption chief Chen Xianjing as saying.

Yingde has nearly 70 primary or middle schools with almost all their principals, and some former principals, suspected of accepting cash from uniform suppliers since 2000.

Many accepted payments running into several thousands of yuan but have been exempted from prosecution because the individual amounts were below 10,000 yuan (US$1,464) and the money had been returned, according to Chen, also deputy prosecutor general of Yingde.

Lai was arrested in April 2008 after tip-offs.

The local school uniform market involved more than 150,000 students.

Two suppliers paid for Lai's protection as well as the headmasters' cooperation.

Lai was found guilty of accepting 665,000 yuan and sentenced to four years in prison in November 2008.

He also accepted bribes from contractors building school facilities and maintaining green areas, and from a printing house.