Hoang Trong Phu, deputy head of the Bureau of Education and Training in Bat Xat District, Lao Cai Province, confirmed that the incident took place at Phin Ngan Elementary School on Friday, when T., a first grader, misspelled a word in the dictation lesson taught by Tran Thi Thu Tra.
According to the teacher’s report, after seeing T. writing too slowly and making a mistake, Tra used a ruler to strike the student’s face. After being hit, T. displayed no changes to her facial appearance and continued studying, Tra said in the report.
Chao Ke May, T.’s mother, said that she saw two of T.’s friends help her daughter come home from school.
"My kid’s face was swelling and there were bruises near her eyes," May recounted, adding that T. was very upset at the time.
As household aid yielded no positive result, T.’s family said that she was transferred to the Bat Xat general hospital for medical treatment with bruises around her eyes and the surrounding facial area.
The girl recovered but she has to stay in the infirmary for further treatment, doctors said.
Tra said that she offered an apology and medical payment as compensation to the family.
The teacher is currently suspended from teaching and strict sanctions are currently being discussed, said the district’s education bureau.
"Strict measures must be enacted to purge school violence," leaders of Bat Xat District’s Bureau of Education and Training insisted.