Headmaster punished for ad printed on red scarf

The headmaster of a primary school in Heze, Shandong province, was punished for allowing advertisement on students' red scarf, a symbol of the young pioneers.

Lyv Yongmei, the headmaster of Danyanglu Primary School, received serious warning from the Party committee of the Development Zone of Heze on Saturday. The warning is a punishment measure of disciplinary violation in the Communist Party of China.

Lvy's punishment came after red scarves worn by the school's three-graders were found to be printed with advertisement of a famous real estate developer, according to a report of Legal Daily.

A person in charge in the education bureau of the Development Zone of Heze told Legal Daily that the red scarves were given to the students in a road safety promotion on the afternoon of Sept 25, and the school did not notice advertisement was printed on them.

The person said the school recalled the red scarves the next day after realizing the problem.

The red scarf is a neckerchief worn by the Chinese Young Pioneers. It represents a corner of the red flag and symbolizes the revolutionary tradition.

Founded in 1949 and led by the CPC, the Chinese Young Pioneers is a national organization for Chinese children aged 6 to 14, most of whom are primary or secondary school students.

Distorting, defaming or diminishing the deeds and spirit of heroes and martyrs is strictly prohibited, according to a new law in China on the protection of heroes and martyrs which took effect on May 1.