Students study at the library of West Anhui University in Lu'an city, East China's Anhui Province, December 16, 2017. File Photo: Xinhua

China's Ministry of Education issued a code of conduct for postgraduate supervisors saying they are not allowed to insult, nor have improper relations with their students. The guideline came after some supervisors were accused in media reports of being uncaring after a few graduate students committed suicide.

The guidelines also say graduate students shall not be required to engage in affairs unrelated to their studies, and their graduation shall not be arbitrarily delayed in violation of regulations. 

The cultivation unit of the ministry can cancel the qualification of supervisors who violate the regulation. Severe violation or bad impact can mean the teaching qualification shall be resolutely eliminated. Those suspected of committing crimes shall be transferred to judicial organs.

If the circumstances are serious, the degree authorization of relevant disciplines will be cancelled according to procedures.

The Ministry of Education made it clear that supervisors are the first responsible person for postgraduate training and have made great contributions to the country's development. However, there are some problems such as insufficient guidance, poor quality, and improper teacher ethics, said the ministry.

It is, therefore, an important measure to further improve the management system of supervisors by developing a code of conduct for supervisors, the ministry noted.

According to media reports, in 2018, Tao Chongyuan, a graduate student at Wuhan University of Technology, jumped from the rooftop of his dormitory and died after allegedly being bullied and threatened by his master supervisor.

A third-year graduate student from the School of Chemical Engineering at Dalian University of Technology in Liaoning Province was found dead in a laboratory, according to the school's official account. After a preliminary investigation by Dalian police, it was confirmed that the student committed suicide.

On May 10, the Communication University of China announced that a graduate student surnamed Huang, committed suicide after her thesis was not approved by her supervisor. She begged her supervisor in vain and gradually became mentally distraught, according to a media report. 

"Students should not be treated as free labor, and schools ought to take responsibility for teaching," one netizen commented on Sina Weibo.

"Teaching is not only an occupation. Teachers influence the values of our children's ideas. Those who are not qualified to be teachers and do not want to be teachers, go and do something else," another netizen added.