China has punished more than two dozen education officials over a series of math textbooks drawings that an investigation found portrayed the nation’s children as “ugly.” In May, the country’s biggest textbook publisher issued a public apology on its official WeChat account after being ordered to redesign its materials for the semester starting in September. /weibo/

The Ministry of Education said in a statement that some 27 officials from the state-owned publisher had been reprimanded or dismissed over illustrations that had “fallen short of the fundamental requirements of moral education.” “The overall style of the illustrations do not conform to the aesthetic tastes of the public,” the ministry said. “Some illustrated characters are ugly, show poor spirit and style, and do not reflect a positive image of our nation’s children.” /weibo/

China’s Ministry of Education has ordered a state-owned publisher to change illustrations in a set of its primary school textbooks after widespread public criticism that the pictures were ugly, pornographic and racist. People’s Education Press must “rectify and reform” the publications. /weibo/