Some 289 teachers at public elementary and junior high schools have been judged by local education boards to be lacking in leadership skills, according to an education ministry report released Friday.

The figure is based on the findings of boards in the nation's 47 prefectures and larger cities for the 2002 school year to March 31.

It is nearly double the 149 teachers who were considered below par the previous year, officials at the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry said. Of the teachers criticized in the latest report, three were fired because they were found to be "terribly lacking" in the required skills, the ministry said.