Nghe An: Kindergarten teacher accused of beating 5-year-old child, breaking bones

(Baonghean.vn) - The kindergarten teacher admitted to hitting the boy, but only used a "small bamboo stick to lightly tap his hand, not enough to break any bones."

On November 1, Mr. Nguyen Duy Tam (45 years old, Nghi Duc commune, Vinh city) said that his family is filing a complaint with the authorities against Ms. Nguyen Thi Dao (46 years old), who injured his son. Ms. Dao is a teacher at Nghi Duc commune kindergarten.

Mr. Tam said that on the afternoon of October 25, as usual, he went to the kindergarten to pick up his son Nguyen Duy Long (5 years old) who was studying there. "When I got there, I saw him pull his hand behind his back and cry out in pain but did not say why. After returning home, his parents questioned him for a long time before he said that Ms. Dao had beaten him," Mr. Tam said, adding that at that time, Long's wrist was bruised. Mr. Tam's wife, Ms. Nguyen Thi Cuc (44 years old), immediately took her son to school to question the teacher.

Ms. Cuc confirmed that Long's finger was broken by Ms. Dao's beating. Photo: Tien Hung

“When I got there, Ms. Dao had already left. I only met the principal and a few other teachers. At that time, the principal promised to investigate the incident and advised the family to take the child home to apply ice. I also thought the child only had a sprain so I didn’t take him to the hospital,” Ms. Cuc said.

However, that very night, Long cried all night and refused to sleep. The next morning, the couple took their son to the hospital for an examination and diagnosed him with a fracture at the wrist and hand level, and an X-ray showed a fracture near the 5th finger of his left hand.

According to Ms. Cuc, in the following days, Ms. Dao and school representatives visited and apologized to the family. Here, Ms. Dao admitted that she "accidentally hit Long, and at the same time, she took full responsibility for the medical expenses and treatment until he was completely cured."

The leaders of Nghi Duc Kindergarten later invited the family to apologize and propose an internal solution. “However, a week has passed and the school has not resolved the matter. Ms. Dao also refused to compensate for the medical and treatment costs as promised,” said Ms. Cuc.

X-ray image of Long's hand. Photo: Tien Hung

Meanwhile, speaking with Nghe An Newspaper reporter, Ms. Nguyen Thi Dao denied that she had broken Long's arm.

“That afternoon, when we were getting ready for class, Long and a boy next to me were causing a disturbance. I then used a small bamboo stick to lightly tap the children’s hands to stop them from fighting. From then until the end of class, the two children who were beaten did not complain of pain or show any signs of injury. When class ended, I went home. Only after the family reported to me did I find out that the child had a broken arm,” said Ms. Dao, adding that the object used to beat the two children was made of bamboo, which teachers often use to point to the blackboard.

“I admit that I hit him, but I didn’t break any bones. A small bamboo stick like that wouldn’t have broken any bones, and I also hit him lightly. I don’t know why he broke his bones. I really hope the police will investigate the cause,” said Ms. Dao.

The object that Ms. Dao said was used to hit Long. Photo: Tien Hung

Ms. Tran Thi Tu Hoa - Principal of Nghi Duc Kindergarten said that after the incident, the school also investigated but "there was no evidence to confirm that Ms. Dao caused Long to break his arm."

“The family said that Ms. Dao broke the child’s arm by beating him, but she denied it, so the school had no basis to take action. However, the school also disciplined her with a reprimand for her inappropriate behavior in education,” Ms. Hoa said.

Tien Hung