VietNamNet Bridge - “Instead of love and sympathy, the teacher tried to discipline students with violence,” a parent in Hanoi wrote on her Facebook page about the punishment a teacher in Quang Binh province imposed on her student. 

Hoang Long Nhat was not the only student who received slaps

The news that a teacher ordered her students to give slaps on the face of a classmate has created an uproar among the public. The anger of parents has intensified as they realized that Hoang Long Nhat was not the only student who received slaps. 

The punishment was applied to all students who had made mistakes. Ten students have received at least 900 slaps during the teacher’s tenure.

Dr Tran Dinh Thong from Mat Troi Moi Psychology Counselling Center said that giving slaps on students’ faces is ‘anti-education behavior’.

Thong said education’s mission is helping people develop knowledge and personality. In developed countries, students not only receive academic knowledge at school, but also life skills and communication skills. Life skills are not taught at state-owned general schools in Vietnam.

“In this case, the teacher did not teach students life skills, but taught violence,” he commented. “If hitting friends becomes a habit and the misconduct is advocated by teachers, the thought of solving everything through violence will develop the child's mind.”

Sharing the same view, Nguyen Bich Hanh from Ngoi Sao Xanh Children’s Psychology Center, commented that giving and receiving slaps may follow the children throughout their life, leading to deviations in personality development.

A parent whose son was asked to slap Nhat’s face 10 times by the teacher said her son is now living in fear.

“He knows his slaps have contributed to the classmate’s severe injury. He feels constant anxiety, especially when someone mentions the scandal. Sometimes he panics. He fears he may be sent to jail one day because he hit a friend,” the parent said.

The parent admitted that she heard about the punishment from her son. She wanted to condemn the wrong behavior, but she did not.

“I was afraid that my son would be persecuted if I criticized his teacher,” she explained.

“What will happen if my son is expelled from school? It is very difficult to enroll in state-owned schools, or you have to pay a lot for enrollment,” she complained.

Possibly other parents also think this way. And that is one reason why such behavior still exists in school. The headmaster of the school also asked Nhat’s parents to stay  ‘silent’ and not provide information about the case to the press because it could affect the prestige of the school.

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