The Chinese government has been making efforts to raise teachers' social status and living standards. To improve teachers' quality, the government started the National Program of United Network for Education of Teachers, which aims to modernize teachers' education with education information, provide support and services for teachers' life-long learning through the network of teachers' education, network of satellite TV, and the Internet; improve the quality of elementary and high school teachers through large-scale, high-quality and high-efficiency training and continuous education. At present, among faculties of schools of higher learning, professors and assistant professors account for 9.5 percent and 30 percent respectively; young and middle-aged teachers are the main force, teachers under age 45 and under age 35 making up 79 percent and 46 percent of the total faculties respectively. Teachers in institutions of higher learning also have scientific research to do. They are the vital contingent in scientific research, knowledge innovation and scientific and technological innovation. In the schools of higher learning around the country, there are altogether 280 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences ("CAS"), accounting for 40.7 percent of the total number of CAS academicians; 234 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering ("CAE"), accounting for 35.3 percent of the total number of CAE academicians. In 1985, September 10th was designated the Teacher's Day, the first such day to honor a profession.
