BEIJING — President Xi Jinping met with representatives of outstanding units and individuals in education circles at the Great Hall of the People, extending Teachers' Day greetings to teachers and workers in education circles across the country on Sept 10.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, shook hands with the representatives and joined them for a group photo.

Also present were Premier Li Keqiang and Wang Huning, a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, both of whom are members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

At a ceremony to honor outstanding units and individuals in education circles, Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan, who is a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, praised teachers for their contributions to the country's development and progress over the past seven decades since the founding of the People's Republic of China.

She encouraged teachers to teach with high moral standards, work harder in teaching and research, display respect and tolerance towards students and treat them with both love and strict rules.

Sun also called for improving teachers' benefits to increase the appeal of the profession and create a social atmosphere in which teachers are well respected and the importance of education is well understood.

More than 2,000 individuals and about 600 units were honored with various titles at the ceremony. In addition, 1,355 national-level teaching awards were issued.