A kindergarten principal in Chongqing, China, was dismissed from her job after accepting a small box of chocolates, worth just 85 US cents (approx. RM4), from a student.
Wang, the head of Sanxia Kindergarten, took legal action against her employer following her dismissal in September last year, South China Morning Post reported.
Surveillance footage showed a young boy handing Wang a plastic bag with the chocolates inside as she sat in the classroom alongside another teacher.
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After accepting the gift, she hugged the student and later shared the chocolates with other children in the class.
Despite the modest nature of the gift, the kindergarten claimed her actions violated a Ministry of Education rule prohibiting teachers from accepting any gifts or money from students or their parents. As a result, she was fired.
Wang sued the kindergarten, and the Jiulongpo District People’s Court ruled in her favour in March.
The court found that the chocolate was a token of love and respect from the student and that Wang’s action did not constitute an offence. The kindergarten was ordered to pay her compensation.
The case resurfaced in August when the Chongqing No 5 Intermediate People’s Court upheld the original verdict after the kindergarten filed an appeal.
The story gained traction on social media, amassing 7.2 million views on China’s Douyin.
One user commented, “How ridiculous! She was fired for accepting a gift worth just six yuan?” Another wrote, “As a teacher, I feel bitterly disappointed. How serious the punishment was.”
An editorial by Shanghai TV weighed in, stating: “What the public opposes is teachers soliciting gifts and parents competing to buy expensive gifts, not children’s thanksgiving deeds.”
