A controversial sexual harassment course conducted at a middle school in China, a nation which often makes headlines for atrocities on minority communities, has triggered an online row over victim-blaming.

The school, located in Zhaoqing city in Guangdong province, had held a “mental health education” class – the equivalent of a sex education class in China – last year, CNN reported quoting Chinese state media People’s Daily.

The photos of the teaching material, which sparked the controversy, started circulating online recently.

The teaching material said victims of sexual harassment 'suffer because they dress flamboyantly and behave flirtatiously', reports CNN.

It added: “Girls shouldn’t wear transparent or skimpy clothes and should avoid frivolous behaviour.”

Meanwhile, the instruction has angered netizens who expressed their disbelief and wrath on social media platforms.

“The teacher of that class is problematic,” read one top comment on the Chinese social platform Weibo, with 19,000 likes, reports CNN.

Following the controversy, local education authorities released a statement recently where they confirmed that the photos online showed a lecture held at the school last April.

“The lecture contained some inappropriate expressions, which caused misunderstanding among (online users),” the statement said.