A TOTAL of 336 teachers who excel in their work were honored yesterday by the Shenzhen Municipal Government to celebrate the 18th national Teachers’ Day, which falls today.At a ceremony yesterday, Gong Guoxiang, Principal of Shenzhen Foreign Languages School, was the only winner of this year’s Distinguished Prize for his outstanding contribution to Shenzhen’s education.Zhuang Lixiang, vice secretary of the Shenzhen Municipal Committee of the CPC, extended con- gratulations to the city’s teachers.He said great achievements had been made in the past year in establishing high-quality schools to relieve the increasing demand for education in Shenzhen. Nanshan, Futian and Luohu districts won the Excellent Education District Award from the Guangdong Provincial Government. Zhuang said governments at all levels had given priority to education. Seven townships in Bao’an and Longgang districts were given Excellent Education Township Awards from the provincial government.

　　 Zhuang encouraged teachers to keep a clear mind on the gap between education and social economic development and dedicate themselves to education to better live up to the expectations parents, students and society. The quality of teachers also improved over the past year. Shenzhen recruited nearly 1,700 teachers last year, among whom 331 have senior professional titles. Nearly 180 primary and middle school teachers hold master or doctorate degrees. According to the Shenzhen Municipal Education Bureau, nearly 80 percent of primary and middle school teachers had received professional training certificates or college degrees.