Just some months ago, when some educators expressed their concern about escalating school violence, they faced criticism from some parents, who said educators exaggerated the problem.

However, more and more experts have rung the alarm bell over school violence recently as the problem has become more and more serious.

Major General Ho Sy Tien, Director of the Criminal Police, said in the press that school violence has been escalating rapidly in recent years.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Thi Nghia commented that the problem was ‘complicated’ and ‘serious’.

Nguyen Thi Phuc, a National Assembly’s Deputy, put the problem into discussion at the ongoing National Assembly session, emphasizing that school violence is now an evil in the society.

Strengthening psychological counseling and providing both teachers and students with necessary skills in the classroom are important measures to prevent school violence.

Some days ago, Quang Huy, 15, in Yen Bai province killed himself after a video clip that showed him being beaten and forced to kneel down before his friends was posted on internet. 

The clip showed that his friends were also on the site when he was beaten, but they did not intend to stop the fight.

In October alone, a series of similar clips were posted on internet and shared by thousands of people. On October 18, netizens were shocked to see two female students violently beating another student. Some days later, the board of management of the Le Loi Secondary school in Dak Lak province confirmed these were the students of the school.

Prior to that, on October 4, a clip appeared on Facebook, showing six students brutally beating two others at the secondary school in Nghe An province.

On October 30, the Nha Be district’s Police summoned 14 people, who got involved in a school violence case, in which a female student was beaten and forced to lick the feet of another student.

Le Nguyen Phuong, chair of the International School Psychology Association, emphasizing that only love can help repulse violence, has said that action was needed  to help ease school violence.

A series of activities will be organized within the Week of Prevention of Violence against Children, including a seminar to be hosted by Catherine Yen Pham in five large cities. 

The expert will talk about how to control anger before children, protect children from violence in the society, and teach children the skills to respond to violence and prevent child abuse.

More than 36 percent of students said after receiving counseling that they had felt at ease because they could share their thoughts and feelings, while 60 percent said they learned how to solve their problems with support from consultants.


Kim Chi