Teacher fired in Vietnam after hitting students who gave wrong answers

Principal Nguyen Ngoc Quan of Anh Hung Nup High School on Nov. 11 said the incident occurred early last week during a grade 10 chemistry class, where students are typically 15 years old.

The teacher, 22 and newly graduated from a pedagogical university, asked several students to come to the board. Those who answered incorrectly or had not completed their homework were told to line up and were struck on the hand about 10 times with a ruler, an act she claimed had been "agreed upon" with students beforehand.

Quan said the school had signed a short-term contract with the teacher a few months ago due to a lack of chemistry instructors. After the incident came to light, the school terminated her contract and apologized to students and parents. Another teacher has since been assigned to take over the class.

Vietnam is facing a shortage of more than 100,000 teachers, including about 1,500 in Gia Lai Province alone, more than 400 of them at the high school level, from grades 10 to 12. To cope, schools have been hiring qualified individuals on short-term contracts, who are often prioritized for full-time recruitment when official quotas become available.

Under Vietnamese law, teachers are prohibited from insulting or physically harming students. Violators can face disciplinary action ranging from reprimand or warning to dismissal or termination.