But here's one you might not have heard about: a teacher in Riyadh giving bonuses to student who kiss his feet. According to a report on Saturday in a local daily, a Syrian math teacher in a private intermediate school in Riyadh would give students the questions to the final exams hours before the sitting. He also offered 10 bonus points on the exam to any student who kissed his head.

Abdul Mohsen, 13, told the local daily that he kissed the math teacher’s feet to get the questions in advance. He said he was tempted by his desire to get very high marks.

Understandably, parents who discovered this odd proclivity were not amused. One mother said she would file a complaint with the Ministry of Education for the humiliation her boy had to suffer at the hands of the teacher. For their part, school officials said they are collecting statements from students about the teacher's behavior and would take necessary steps. Presumably these steps won't involve the teacher kissing the principal's feet in exchange for not being fired.