Beijing- China has proposed new standards for teachers after the case of a high school teacher who fled his classroom in panic during last month's earthquake without making sure his students were safe, local media reported Friday.

A draft of new ethics regulations for primary and secondary school teachers says "protecting students' safety" is the moral responsibility of a teacher, the China Daily reported.

The behaviour of teacher Fan Meizhong, since nicknamed "Runner Fan," ignited nation-wide criticism for the abandonment of his students during the May 12 quake.

The left-behind pupils remained seated and luckily all survived the 8.0-magnitude earthquake as the school building near the epicentre was not heavily damaged.

Fan has defended his actions by saying that there are no official guidelines which require a teacher to risk his life for his students. He has since been fired from the school.

More than 70,000 people died in the May 12 quake, including thousands of schoolchildren who were killed when their classrooms collapsed. (dpa)