Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Friday, the nation's Teachers' Day, called on teachers to dedicate themselves to rural education, improving teaching standards and contributing to the modernization of the country's education program.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao sits among students during a reading class at a middle school in Xinglong County, north China's Hebei Province on Sept. 10, 2010. Wen Jiabao called on teachers to dedicate themselves to rural education, improving teaching standards and contributing to the modernization of the country's education program during a visit to a school on Friday, the nation's Teachers' Day. [Xinhua]

Wen made those remarks during a visit to a middle school in Xinglong County of north China's Hebei Province, which is about 135 km from Beijing.

Teachers play a key role in primary education, which lays the foundation for a country's development, Wen said, adding that Chinese teachers had made contributions to the country's education cause and modernization drive through hard work and selfless devotion.

Wen stressed it was important to improve rural education as it is a matter concerning the long-term development of rural areas and the improvement of people's skills.

Persistent efforts would be made to ensure students in rural areas have universal access to schooling and modern education, he said.

In 2007, China decided to waive tuition fees for students training to become teachers at six top teaching universities in Beijing, Shanghai, Changchun, Wuhan, Xi'an and Chongqing.

To be eligible for free tuition, the student must agree to work at a primary or middle school for at least ten years after graduation and spend the first two years in a rural school.

The first group of students who enrolled under the tuition-free program are scheduled to graduate next summer.

Eight students from the Beijing Normal University who are in the program joined Wen in his visit to the rural school Friday.

Wen urged the students from the university to develop a better understanding of China's rural area, contribute to rural education and help build their hometowns into better places after graduation.

The premier asked them to make rural education their career and prepare themselves for hardships and challenges.

He said the government would continue its support to the program of tuition-free education for normal school teachers and provide them with opportunities of receiving further education and grant favorable policies in employment.