Ministry of Education and Training leader: Teacher slapping student 231 times is unacceptable!

N. while being treated at the hospital. Photo: Hoang Phuc

Deputy Minister Nguyen Thi Nghia said that regardless of the reason, the teacher's punishment of the student in this way is unacceptable. Therefore, the school must consider and handle it seriously.

According to information from the Department of Education and Training of Quang Binh province, this afternoon, the Department will hold a meeting to review the incident and send a report to the Ministry.

Previously, the Ministry of Education and Training issued Directive No. 1737/CT-BGDDT on strengthening management and improving teachers' ethics. To rectify the situation of teachers' ethics violations, the Ministry of Education and Training has also repeatedly mentioned the viewpoint that it will resolutely remove from the profession teachers who seriously violate teachers' ethics.

Previously, on the afternoon of November 19, Hoang Long N. (11 years old, student of class 6.2 - Duy Ninh Secondary School) accidentally cursed in the school yard, and was recorded in the red flag team's notebook. Teacher Nguyen Thi Phuong Thuy gave the punishment of forcing all the students in the class to slap N. repeatedly on the cheeks.

According to N., the total slaps this student received were 231 from 23 friends (10 from each friend) and 1 slap from the homeroom teacher. After being beaten by her friends and teacher, N.'s face was purple and swollen, she could not speak, so her family took her to the hospital for emergency treatment with both cheeks black and swollen, making it difficult to chew and swallow. By the morning of November 24, N. was discharged from the hospital but had not returned to school because of her unstable mental state.

Mr. Dinh Quy Nhan, Director of the Department of Education and Training of Quang Binh province, said that he felt "heartbroken" about the above incident for the education sector of his province. After the press reported it, he directed his subordinates to consider handling Ms. Thuy's case and affirmed that he would handle it strictly, ensuring that the above situation would not repeat itself.

Previously, when she was teaching at Hai Ninh Secondary School, Ms. Thuy also had a "strong-handed" way of educating, which made parents angry. A few months after transferring to work at Duy Ninh Secondary School, the heartbreaking incident above happened again.

The Department of Education and Training of Quang Ninh district has temporarily suspended teacher Nguyen Thi Phuong Thuy from work for 2 weeks and set up an inspection team to verify the incident.