Rural teachers need more than a light show

MONDAY WAS THE 34TH ANNUAL TEACHERS' DAY in China. According to the Ministry of Education's recent deployment, all provincial capital cities and municipalities directly under the administration of the central government projected the characters "Hello, teachers" onto the facets of local landmark buildings from 8 pm to 9 pm on Monday to observe the day. Beijing News comments:

This is the first time since the top legislature made Sept 10 the annual Teachers' Day in 1985 that the Ministry of Education has called for the whole of society to mark the day in such high-profile manner.

But the light show should not dazzle people's eyes so that they fail to see some practical difficulties confronting teachers, particularly those working in the rural regions. For instance, the low income of rural teachers has been the main reason there is a shortage of rural teachers, let alone good teachers, in the countryside, where nearly half of the population live.