Education Ministry has told teachers in primary and secondary schools to respect students' dignity and refrain from mockery, discrimination and any forms of physical punishment.

According a set of standards for school management released by the ministry on Wednesday, schools are required to provide "regular moral and legal education" for teachers and "increase their sense of honor and duty".

The ministry encourages teachers to read classics, dress neatly, speak properly and behave in a civilized and polite manner.

The new rules come after the exposure of successive child abuse cases involving teachers this year. In June, a primary school teacher suspected of molesting several girls in southwest China's Yunnan Province was detained. In April, a court in east China's Anhui Province sentenced a primary school teacher to death for the rape of five schoolgirls and the sexual assault of six others.

The standards also provided specific guidance on equality and protecting students during emergencies to address "prominent problems" of some schools, a ministry spokesman told Xinhua.

Among the measures, schools are required to raise the capacity of both faculty and students in coping with emergencies, with plans to cope with such events as drowning, traffic accidents, intrusion of criminals, campus violence, natural disasters and public health incidents.

Schools are also encouraged to be vigilant against any threats to the personal safety of faculty and students.

China provides nine years of compulsory education, including six years' primary education and three years' secondary education.