Any teacher confirmed to have abused, molested or sexually harassed students will be permanently banned from teaching in China, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said on Friday.
Their teaching credentials, academic titles and honors will be revoked, and their misconduct will be recorded in the national teachers' management information system and no school will be allowed to hire them to teach or research, or hold a management position, the ministry said in a new code of conduct for teachers from kindergarten to university.
Teachers accused of committing crimes will be referred to law enforcement authorities, and schools that fail to examine and punish teachers, or attempt to hide their misbehavior will also be held accountable, the ministry said.
Schools all over the country should thoroughly investigate teachers' misconduct.
A "one-veto" principle will be imposed on teachers who commit moral misconduct in their evaluation, the ministry said.
The code was issued after a series of child abuse and sexual harassment cases in schools that shocked Chinese society.
In July, Sun Yat-sen University in South China's Guangdong Province warned and disqualified Zhang Peng, a sociology professor, after students accused him of sexual harassment when they were engaged in field work or discussing their thesis.
A teacher surnamed Liu at the RYB Education New World Kindergarten in Chaoyang district, Beijing was arrested in December 2017, after the procuratorate of the Beijing Chaoyang district pressed charges against Liu, accusing her of using sewing needles to "discipline" children who would not sleep.
