Information from family and school about the suicide of a 10th grade female student

On the morning of April 17, the family held a funeral for NTYN (17 years old, residing in Vinh City), 2 days after discovering her suicide. N. is a student in class 10A15, Vinh University High School for the Gifted. Also on the morning of April 17, the school's leadership met with the press to provide information related to this female student.

The school said that after the incident, the school visited. "The family only said that the student committed suicide, and has not reported anything further," said Mr. Nguyen Hong Soa - Head of the Student Political Affairs Department, Vinh University.

Representatives of Vinh University and leaders of Vinh University High School for the Gifted provide information to the press. Photo: Tien Hung

The principal of Vinh University High School for the Gifted said that in the first semester, NTYN came to see him alone to ask to change classes, but did not say that she was isolated or suffered from school violence, but said that the reason for the transfer was that she knew a teacher from the next class so she asked to transfer there. However, he refused to let N. change classes.

Explaining in more detail the reason for refusing to let N. transfer classes, the principal said that grade 10 is currently implementing the new high school program, especially the high-quality program with 2 sessions/day. In the program, there are many different branches for students to choose from. While studying this new high school program, they cannot transfer immediately because it involves subjects. In the new program, the subjects of different classes are different. If they transfer in the middle of the semester, the scores of this class and that class will be different.

The principal added that the high-quality system has different classes and levels. N.'s entrance exam score placed her in class A15, which is the third grade. If she wants to move up to the first or second grade, she must prove her academic performance. "I have analyzed for N. that she should strive to study hard. If her results are good, the school will create conditions for her to change classes," said the principal.

The homeroom teacher of class 10A15 said that the class has 27 students, of which NTYN is a good student with good academic performance. “Previously, N. played with a group of friends in the class. But starting before November 20, 2022, N. and this group no longer played together. I asked the members of the group and they said the reason was simply that they did not get along,” the homeroom teacher said.

According to the homeroom teacher, N.'s parents and students never asked her to transfer them to another class. "Only she texted me asking for a form to transfer classes. At that time, I only replied that there was no such form and that transferring classes was the authority of the school's Board of Directors. I asked her the reason for transferring classes, but she did not share it, so I did not know the reason clearly," the homeroom teacher said.

Reporter of Nghe An Newspaper also asked, in class there is a group of friends who always attack N., does the homeroom teacher know about it? The homeroom teacher said: "I have done my best to be close to her.closer, learn about the students, but I am not a member of that group so I cannot confirm whether that group exists or not. I do not know what content they chat about in the closed group.

“Seeing that she was absent from school a lot, I called her parents and found out that many of the messages she sent asking for leave were because she used her mother’s phone to send messages to the teacher. I also often asked about N. and reminded her,” the homeroom teacher added.

Nghe An Newspaper reporter asked questions at the press conference. Photo: TH

According to the reporter's findings, although YN is not the best in class, she is still among the top students. She is one of the students who just received a scholarship.

Talking to a reporter from Nghe An Newspaper, the mother of this female student, Ms. PTTV, said that in this class, not only her daughter but also 3 other students were isolated and subjected to school violence in many forms.

Vinh University High School for the Gifted. Photo: Tien Hung

Ms. PTTV also said that she had met the school board twice to report her daughter’s school violence and isolation, and to request a class transfer for her daughter. One time, she met the principal directly, the other time the principal was away, so she reported it to the national defense education teacher.

“Not only did I go to see the Principal, but three other parents whose children were isolated also went to see him. At that time, the Principal refused to let my daughter change classes and said that my daughter needed to review herself,” Ms. PTTV said.

In addition, this parent also provided Nghe An Newspaper reporters with many text messages between the mother and daughter before N. committed suicide. Accordingly, in conversations with her mother, N. repeatedly confided that she was "bored and didn't want to go to school anymore". When asked by her mother why, N. said that after her mother and 3 other parents went to see the Principal to ask for the children to change classes but were refused, she did not understand how the group of friends in the class found out. This group often sat behind her and talked provocatively. After a few sessions, the teacher let N. sit in another place, separate from the other group of friends, so she felt normal. However, when it was time for class, the homeroom teacher forced N. and the isolated children to sit with the other group of friends.

“I can’t learn. I’m so sad,” N. texted her mother, confiding in her, and took a photo of herself crying to send to her.

According to PTTV's parent, her daughter was recently blocked on the road by a group of students who had gathered together to beat her. She had to go to school to pick up her daughter, so nothing happened. Accordingly, in early March 2023, Ms. V. received a call for help from her daughter who came to pick her up because she was blocked on the road by a group of friends and was beaten. "Please, Mom. I was in class, when you came, I ran down...", one of the messages for help that her daughter sent to her mother. According to Ms. V., after that incident, she called the homeroom teacher directly to report it...

Tien Hung