Mexico City, May 10 (IANS/EFE) British singer Sting, a former schoolteacher, believes that teaching "attracts the most brilliant minds of society" and therefore, teachers should be better paid.

"The level of income for teachers should be higher," Sting said here in the Mexican capital, where he performed during the weekend at a benefit concert to collect funds for education.

"Teachers are not paid enough. So, that's why I became a rock star," the former frontman for 'The Police' band said in a lighter vein.

Sting performed in a series of concerts, in Venezuelan capital Caracas and Colombian capital Bogota, which concluded in a finale at Mexico City.

The proceeds from the concerts will help support professional training for rural communities in Colombia and Venezuela and educational training in Mexico.

Approximately 5.1 million pesos ($400,000) collected in ticket sales will go to teachers and students. With the money, 5,000 teachers will be trained in basic education in marginalised areas and scholarships will be provided to 210 students.

"Your work as a teacher, more than teaching, is raising the enthusiasm of the children so that they want to learn," Sting said.