"Moving Teachers' Day from Sept 10 to Sept 28, the birthday of Confucius, has more cultural significance. But it is difficult for the authorities to offer teachers a pleasant holiday merely by doing so. The most urgent issue is to improve the status of teachers."

Xiong Bingqi, vice-president of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, talking about the State Council's plan to change the date of Teachers' Day, Beijing Daily reported on Monday.