Doctors take out paper from the eye of a girl, 7, in Yuzhou, Central China's Henan Province. Photo: Screenshot of thepaper.cn

A Chinese education ministry official called for efforts to prevent school bullying after a seven-year-old girl's eyes were stuffed with paper by classmates, which the school principal said "meant no harm," triggering a strong backlash online.

Lü Yugang, an official from the Ministry of Education, said at a Thursday conference that the number of school bullying cases in China has dropped in recent years, Shanghai-based media outlet, The Paper, reported. 

He called for authorities and schools to enhance management and deal with vicious cases in accordance with the law. He added that parents should also fulfill their role as guardians.

The ministry will further strengthen guidance for teenagers and for parents to fulfill their responsibilities, and tighten school rules and regulations, Lü noted.

He made the remarks in response to reports on Chinese social media of a seven-year-old school girl in Yuzhou, Central China's Henan Province whose eyes were stuffed with paper by three classmates.

The case caused heated discussions online after the school principal told media it was child's play and "meant no harm" on Tuesday.

The principal's response reflected his nonchalance, which is secondary bullying against the girl, Zhu Wei, a professor at the China University of Political Science and Law, told the Global Times on Thursday. 

The school and the local educational institute apparently failed to look after the safety of minors, he noted.

Chinese netizens urged the classmates who stuffed the papers to the girls' eyes to apology. According to the girl's mother, surnamed Li, only one grandfather of a boy had apologized. 

Li also worriedabout her daughter's eyes as she told The Paper on Wednesday that she found paper in her daughter's eyes again. 

The girl was not feeling well in the temple and was resting at home, Li said.

The school took the girl to the hospital on October 25. Results showed that there was no paper in her eyes and that her eyes were not harmed, the report said. 

The government of Yuzhou announced on Thursday that they have set up an investigation team led by the deputy mayor.