Punishment predicated by circumstances

A teacher at a private school in Shanghai was recently sentenced to two and a half years in prison after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a female middle school student. He was also barred from working in the education sector for three years.

The case sparked public discussion about the punishments meted out to teachers who abuse students. Some netizens complained that the penalty was too lenient, and said the teacher should have been punished more severely.

According to a series of guidelines released by the Ministry of Education in October 2014, teachers found to have sexually harassed students or had "inappropriate relations" with them will receive an official warning, be demoted, fired or reported to the police, depending on the specifics of each case.