Trainees visit the Bund during the program.

Forty primary school teachers from poor rural areas in Guizhou Province finished a five-day training program in Shanghai on Thursday.

The city has been helping the city of Zunyi in Guizhou in poverty alleviation and economic development since 2013. This was the project's first teacher-training program.

It was held at the Shanghai Hope Project Teacher Training Base in Songjiang District.

Many education professionals from Shanghai were invited to give lectures on topics such as teaching skills, students' mental health and innovative education.

Chen Younian, a young teacher from Qingzheng County in Zunyi, said she feels lucky to be involved in the program.

"I learned the latest teaching methods in Shanghai, which will help me improve my approach to teaching," she said.

As many rural schools are not as well equipped with technological resources as their urban counterparts, the program encouraged the rural teachers to improvise.

"I have learned to make use of our limited resources in science education and help students explore science around them," Chen said.

The program was sponsored by the Shanghai Youth Development Foundation and Knowledge Service Association, a social organization created by angel investors and entrepreneurs.

Ye Mengde, director of the Shanghai Youth Development Foundation, said the program aims to help provide teachers and students in rural areas with access to more educational resources and broaden their horizons.

"I hope the trainees can apply what they've learned to their work, and share what they've learned with their colleagues in order to benefit more teachers," he said.