A high school principal Chen Liqun was recently honored as a role model of the times by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

Chen, also an experienced teacher, was the principal at several high schools in east China's Zhejiang Province. After his retirement in 2016, Chen worked voluntarily at a high school in a poverty-stricken area in southwest China's Guizhou Province, declining high-paying job offers from private schools.

Over the past three years, he has improved the school's educational quality by cultivating a group of high-caliber teachers.

During his tenure, he visited students' families and supported over 100 poor households of the Miao ethnic group with financial assistance. His deeds have inspired many others to join the cause of improving education in the country's less developed areas.

Chen's dedication earned him the award for outstanding principal in education reform and innovation and he was named one of the top 10 figures in education in 2018.