Not paying teachers reflects lack of respect

MORE THAN 170 TEACHERS in Zhouzhi county, Northwest China's Shaanxi province, have not been paid for over seven months. Recently the local government promised to advance them 8,000 yuan ($1,223) each. Beijing Times commented on Monday:

Thanks to the recent reports of their failure to be paid, the more than 170 new teachers received their salaries after waiting seven months. But as to why they were not paid for over half a year, the county government blamed the red tape for the delay in approving the newly recruited teachers' payments, which is hardly convincing.

In fact, it was the local authorities' disregard for the legal interests of the teachers and the importance of school education, not the so-called complicated paperwork, that led to their seven months' work without pay. The young teachers who start their careers in underdeveloped areas such as Zhouzhi county to support local education should be respected and properly treated.