Capture of a video clip showing a teacher cornered by several students in a classroom.
The Ministry of Education said the incident in which students locked a teacher in a classroom and threw objects at her constituted an act of violence and a serious moral violation.
In a document sent to the People’s Committee of Tuyen Quang province on Tuesday, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Ngo Thi Minh said that the fact that some 7th grade students at Van Phu Middle School in Tuyen Quang district Son Duong locked a music teacher in the classroom, shouted and threw objects at him, constituted a serious moral violation.
The ministry asked authorities in the northern province to verify the incident and strictly deal with violations committed by individuals and groups. The Tuyen Quang Department of Education and Training was also asked to strengthen the enforcement of the school code and educate students on morals and lifestyles.
In a two-minute video clip that circulated on social media on Monday, a teacher could be seen locked in a classroom while dozens of students forced her into a corner, shouting at her and throwing Objects.
Similar videos of the same incident continued to surface on Tuesday. In a five-minute clip, a group of students could be heard spewing profanities and putting trash in the teacher’s bag. As the teacher walks towards the classroom door, students can be seen throwing away shoes and slippers. Another, longer video showed the teacher retaliating against students, swinging her shoes in the air and chasing students around the classroom.
The Son Duong District People’s Committee said the incident occurred around 10:30 a.m. on November 29. When music class started, some students asked to leave the class, but the teacher refused. Conflicts then break out between the teacher and the students. When class ended and the teacher moved to another classroom to teach, students followed her, shouted insults at her and uploaded the clips to Facebook.
The Education Ministry has asked the provincial People’s Committee to report on the issue by December 29.
