New rules for teachers after China earthquake

Visitors look at earthquake related photos published by China's Xinhua News Agency on display at an exhibition in Chengdu, in southwest China's Sichuan province Wednesday, June 25, 2008. The May 12 earthquake killed nearly 70,000 people and left some 5 million homeless. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

BEIJING—China is requiring more ethical responsibility from teachers following the highly publicized case of a high school teacher who fled his classroom during last month's earthquake without making sure his students were safe.

A draft of revised ethics regulations for primary and secondary school teachers explicitly states for the first time that teachers have a moral responsibility to protect their students.

The revision, placed on the Ministry of Education's Web site this week for public comment until Monday, was apparently fueled by the case of Fan Meizhong, a high school teacher in Dujiangyan, one of the worst-hit cities in the May 12 quake.

Fan ignited a storm of public criticism after he wrote about his experience on a popular Internet forum and defended his instinct for self-preservation.

"At a life-or-death moment like this, only my daughter's life might make me consider sacrificing myself. As to other people, I would ignore them, even if it was my mother. ... At such a critical moment, it's escape that counts," he wrote.

Nearly 70,000 people died in the 7.9-magnitude quake, including thousands of schoolchildren killed when their classrooms collapsed.

Fan's school ultimately escaped major damage and all his students survived, but his actions drew a barrage of attacks -- and now an official government response.

The new guidelines would add, "Guarantee your students' safety," to a list that includes: "Love your career as a teacher. Love students. Set a good example."

The teacher, who was dismissively dubbed "Running Fan," lost his teaching credentials and was fired from his job.

The official Xinhua News Agency quoted the school's principal as saying that Fan was dismissed not for running out of the school but for the comments he made afterward. A spokesman for the Education Ministry was quoted as saying: "We don't have to be noble, but we will not tolerate shamelessness."