VietNamNet Bridge - A teacher in Hanoi has been sacked after he pulled a student’s ear and slapped his face after being teased by students. 

The incident took place on May 8, when the Khuong Thuong Secondary School organized the year-end history exam for seventh graders. 

Since ninth graders make noise, distracting examinees’ attention, Ngo Van Luc, a teacher, asked the students to keep silent.

Later, Luc heard someone teasing him from behind and turned around to ask who did it. The teacher then slapped Nguyen Van Dung, the monitor of the class, on his face, because he thought Dung covered up for the culprit.

Ngo My Le, headmaster of the Khuong Thuong Secondary School, said the school’s board of management released the decision on dismissing the teacher.

A teacher in Hanoi has been sacked after he pulled a student’s ear and slapped his face after being teased by students.

The punishment for the young teacher, born in 1991, is believed to be too harsh.

Doan Van Hai, a teacher from Binh Phuoc province, commented that in this case, the young teacher should be reprimanded instead of being sacked.

“If students tease their teachers, the teachers may lose their temper and conduct misbehavior,” he said. “It is unfair for the teacher to bear such a heavy punishment and he will have no other opportunity to work in the education sector.”

According to Hai, the dismissal will cause students to be more insolent and the teachers will shrink back. They would rather turn a deaf ear to students’ misconduct rather than correct their mistakes.

Many parents don’t agree with the school’s decision on sacking the teacher. 

“Teachers are told to control their temper. However, like other people, they cannot keep calm in some cases. It is quite normal. They cannot always be right,” said Hoang Hoa Thuy, a parent in Cau Giay district.

She admitted she sometimes slaps her daughter’s face if the girl answers back to the parents.

Nguyen Thi Ly, a teacher in Hanoi, also said that the punishment on Luc was harsh, and that she feels insecure continuing working as a teacher.

“I am afraid that if I would rap a student’s head with my knuckles I would lose my job. The job is so challenging,” she said. 

Nguyen Tung Lam, a respected educator, chair of the Hanoi Education Psychology Association, commented that in this case, the young teacher lacks experience and pedagogical capability.

“Slapping a student’s face is completely wrong and it violates morality. Teachers must have the pedagogical capability to convince students. Whips will never help change students’ personality,” he said.

However, Lam said the young teacher should be given the chance to correct his misbehavior.

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