Hanoi in shock after teacher beats primary school students for being late

A recent incident involving a teacher who used a ruler to discipline her second-grade students has shaken Hanoi’s Ba Dinh District and prompted an urgent meeting of dozens of school principals on Monday.

Principals from all 49 public kindergartens, elementary and secondary schools in the downtown district were summoned to the meeting, where they were asked to make sure a similar incident does not happen again.

The meeting was held after Facebook posts reported that the teacher had used a ruler to hit her students on the legs, bruising 11 of them. She reportedly grabbed a second ruler after the first one broke.

A photo shared on Facebook shows bruises on a student's legs.

Official sources confirmed that the incident happened on Friday last week after the students turned up late for class after break time.

The teacher said she was “very sorry”, and has been suspended.

The students' families have agreed not to take it any further.