Mr Xie , a teacher in China , has been sacked after punishing two students by making them kneel on the floor and act as his footstool ( above ) A teacher in China has been sacked after punishing two students by making them kneel on the floor and act as footstools . Mr Xie told the male pupils from Nanguang High School in Fujian to stay behind after class on Thursday because they were being too loud . He made the students crouch on the floor while he played on his phone and put his bare feet on their backs , People 's Daily Online reported . Mr Xie , who has been a teacher for 27 years , was dismissed after the Nan'an City Education Department saw a picture on social media . The image shows both students being made to kneel on the ground in their school uniforms in front of a crowd of pupils . Mr Liu , headteacher , said Mr Xie , who is in his 40s , was supervising a small self-study group around 7.30pm when the two students were too noisy . The Year One pupils - thought to be aged between six and seven - were taken into a different room and told to kneel on the ground . Mr Liu said the footstool photo was taken as a joke and added that Mr Xie , who was in charge of disciplining the male students at the school , 'performed well in his work and was extremely talented ' . Nan'an City Department of Education said it took immediate action . It requested the school apologise to students and parents , and said that student counselling should also be offered . Stronger ethics and appropriate styles of teaching would be implemented at the school , the department added . Mr Liu said that a school representative had already gone to the homes of the two students to apologise formally . Boys and girls sit in lines outside Nanguang High School in Fujian , where the incident happened . He said : 'Mr Xie ’ s actions were in violation of our policies and there had to be some form of punishment by the school . ' The two students have returned to class .
Mr Xie told students from Nanguang High School to stay behind after class . Made them kneel on the floor while he put his bare feet on their backs . Sacked after Nan'an City Education Department saw picture on internet .