Teacher orders 5 primary school students to jab own hands with syringes for talking in class

The 15-day suspension began on April 13 at Luong The Vinh Primary School in Ben Cat Ward of the former Binh Duong Province, principal Nguyen Thi My Hanh said on April 15.

The teacher had bought the syringes to treat her son who was sick but had not used them.

“The teacher entered the profession three years ago. I was stunned. I don’t understand how she came to such twisted thinking and misconduct,” Hanh said.

The case came to light after a parent noticed her son looking tired and withdrawn when he came home from school on April 13. Pressed for an explanation, the boy described the syringe punishment. A subsequent school inquiry identified five students who had been punished the same way.

At a meeting on the afternoon of April 15, the teacher admitted the misconduct, apologized to parents and offered to cover the cost of medical evaluations for the students.

The school worked with parents and a medical team on April 16 to take the five children to a hospital for screening for bloodborne infections. All five were reported to be in stable condition.

Hanh said the teacher’s conduct had violated teaching ethics and infringed on the physical integrity and health of the students, and that heavy disciplinary action would follow.

Tran Thi Thao, chairwoman of the Ben Cat Ward People’s Committee, said a formal disciplinary process had been opened.

“The teacher is entirely in the wrong,” she said. Local authorities also ordered the school to keep the teacher away from students during the investigation and to assign another teacher to cover her class.

Under Vietnamese law, teachers are barred from offending the honor or physical integrity of students. Violations can draw one of four sanctions depending on severity: reprimand, warning, removal from position or termination.