Students beat teachers – a signal of morals degrading?

VietNamNet Bridge – Local newspapers have repeatedly reported the serious cases of students beating teachers. The behavior is “unacceptable” in the eyes of old people, who, at their ages, were told that teachers should be the most respectful people.

The story about Tran Van Viet, born in 1995, a 12th grader of the Dang Thai Mai High School in Nghe An province stopped teacher Hoang Xuan Dong on his way and hit him to unconsciousness, appeared on all local newspapers these days. The injury was so serious and the teacher was brought to the Thanh Chuong general hospital in the province immediately.

Educators have warned that the number of cases where students beat their teachers tends to increase rapidly.

A lot of students have expressed their discontent over the “school hooliganism” which has become the topic of many education articles these days. When an adult beats a child, this would be a “normal thing” in the Vietnamese eyes. However, it would be a big problem if a student beats his teacher.

Kieu Thi Hang, an 8th grader of the Tich Giang Secondary School in Hanoi, said when hearing the news on TV, she feels worried and fearful, because she cannot imagine that there exist such rude students.

“Beating teachers must not a behavior of a student. This would be done only by a professional ruffian,” hang said.

However, Hang does not think that the cases reflect the current Vietnamese education panorama. Though the number of such cases has increased, this does not mean that the majority of Vietnamese students behave like this.

“Most of the Vietnamese students still follow the “teacher veneration” principle which has existed for the last many generations,” Hang said.

“As far as I know, the students who beat teachers are the bad students, who regularly violate the school regulations. I mean they are all naughty students,” she continued.

“Teachers need to be respected, and they should be considered as the second fathers of every student,” she concluded.

Do Van Tu, a 10th grader of the Hong Thai High School in Hanoi, after reading the story about Vietnam, also said this is unacceptable and unmannerly behavior which must be condemned violently by the society.

Meanwhile, Do Thi Lan, a student of the Dan Phuong High School, said that students in the modern times are no more obedient. In the past, students one and all had to follow the teachers’ instructions. However, nowadays, students dare to express their viewpoints and disagreements with the teachers.

However, Lan still believes such behavior must not happen at school.

“Students have the right to express their viewpoints and the disagreements, but they don’t have the right to beat others, especially their teachers,” Lan said, adding that the naughty students seemed to “abuse” their personal freedom.

There are many reasons that lead to the students’ extremist behaviors. Pham Ngoc Hai, a student of the Kim Bang district continuation training center said in most cases, students hit teachers simply because the teachers gave them bad marks or asked them to do too many home exercises.

“Most of the students at my schools just go to class everyday in order to obtain the high school degree. Therefore, they do not spend much time on studying, but on teasing teachers and classmates,” Hai said.

Hoang Van Tuyen, a local resident in Kim Bang district in Ha Nam province, has noted that students nowadays are too lazy about working, while “idleness is the mother of all evil.”