Robot teachers -- who never get angry or make sarcastic remarks -- have been a hit with pupils during a pilot project in some South Korean schools, a government report said Thursday.

Elementary school children responded favourably to the robotic teachers, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said, citing a survey by educational researchers.

English-teaching robots were sent to three provincial schools for eight weeks starting in late December.

And programmable electronic devices resembling robots, which teach maths, science and art, were used in 10 Seoul schools for five weeks from November.

The researchers found that the English-teaching robots helped raise interest in the language and boosted the confidence of students.

"Tele-presence" robots are controlled remotely by an English teacher and are equipped with a microphone and video camera. Autonomous units use voice-recognition software to interact with children.

The government has expressed interest in robots to give rural school children more learning opportunities.

"The machines spurred creativity and had a positive influence on the attitude of students," a ministry official told Yonhap news agency.

Officials in charge of the project are working to improve the quality of robot teaching and iron out glitches before any decision to expand their use.

(Read by Renee Haines. Renee Haines is a multimedia journalist at the China Daily Web site.)

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(Agencies)