'On impulse'

"I wouldn't condemn the teacher. She was too young and too simple and harsh in dealing with the children. I feel that the whole society - teachers, children and us parents - seem generally poor in communicating with others especially in stressful moments. My child failed to make it through the crisis and he did what he did on impulse," Chen said.

Chen and her husband have reached an agreement with the school to launch a fund in the boy's name to pay for professional psychological counseling for students and teachers to prevent such tragedies in future.

"At the least, the fund might help make my son's death not valueless and would, I believe, allow his soul to rest in peace," Chen said.

The teacher had asked to attend the funeral but it was felt some relatives might become too emotional on seeing her.

The story sparked widespread debate online.

Some people said the teacher should have not interfered in the students' private lives while others criticized the education system for failing to teach students how to deal with stress and placing too much focus on academic scores.