BEIJING -- China's educational authority has urged local governments to step up efforts to reconstruct typhoon-stricken schools to ensure the autumn term begins on time.

Local governments and schools should help rebuild classrooms and the homes of the teaching staff, and subsidize students with financial difficulties to ensure nobody leaves school because of the disaster, the Ministry of Education said.

Typhoon Saomai, the strongest to hit China in half a century, left at least 441 dead, including 246 in Fujian, 193 in eastern Zhejiang Province and two in Jiangxi Province.

In Zhejiang, one of the two worst-hit provinces, 1,036 schools were affected by Saomai, with school buildings covering 145,300 square meters collapsed, incurring losses of 217 million yuan (US$27 million).

Saomai, the eighth typhoon to strike China this year, hit Cangnan County of Zhejiang Province on August 10.