The Chinese government celebrated Teachers' Day Monday with an appeal for positive changes in the work and living conditions of the country's 10 million-odd teachers.
Addressing a gathering held by the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Personnel and the Beijing Municipal government, Chinese Vice-premier Li Lanqing extended cheery congratulations to the country's teachers on behalf of the leadership of the Communist Party of China and the central government.
The vice-premier recalled the progress China has made in reform and development of the education sector over the past few years, saying China realized its goal of making nine-year compulsory education available to almost all the children of school age and eradicating illiteracy among the young and middle aged citizens.
Li also talked about China's increased capacity to provide higher-learning education for the country's youth and growing investment in education by governments at all levels.
Li called on governments at all levels to give priority to education, strive for a better environment for building the ranks of teachers, safeguard the legitimate interests and rights of teachers, and further raise the social status of teachers.
China created Teachers' Day in the mid-1980s as a way of encouraging the society to respect teachers, who were then severely underpaid.
(Xinhua News Agency 09/10/2001)
