HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) has sent a document to leaders of provinces and cities requesting them to secure order and security in schools. The move comes after many recent incidents adversely affected the educational environment, causing public concern.

A student of Trần Nhân Tông High School in Hà Nội was hospitalised on March 21 after being hit by a 1.2sq.m chunk of plaster falling from the ceiling at the teacher’s meeting room.

In a separate incident in late February, a teacher in southern Long An Province was forced to kneel down and apologise to parents for making their children kneel down in the class for violating school rules.

In the document, the ministry asked chairpersons of the people’s committee of provinces and cities to direct relevant agencies in supervising the implementation of Government’s Decree No 80/ND-CP, dated July 7, 2017, stipulating regulations aimed at creating a safe, healthy and friendly learning environment for students, as well as Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc’s Instruction No 18/CT-TTg, dated May 16, 2017, on handling violations in the educational sector.

The ministry called for strengthening of order in schools and implementation of a code of conduct in all educational institutions. It said close coordination among schools, students’ families and local governments was essential in building a safe, healthy and friendly learning environment.

Measures to ensure order and security in schools as well as prevention of physical and emotional risk to teachers and students should be set forth, MoET said.

It suggested due punishment for individuals and organisations violating security in schools.

The ministry said it was necessary to hold a meeting between school leaders, parents and teachers regularly to understand the problem and arrive at a solution.

It requested educational institutions to set up hotline numbers for receiving and processing information about their order and security.

Feedback on the issue can be submitted to the ministry by post, phone (0888.598.666) or email (tiepnhanthongtin@moet.gov.vn).

In a related news, a teacher in northern Hải Phòng City’s An Dương District was suspended for forcing a student to drink water used to clean the blackboard duster on Thursday.

Nguyễn Thị Minh Hương was suspended for violating the code of ethics for teachers stipulated by MoET.

The student was reportedly punished as she kept talking during the class.

Lê Anh Quân, chairman of An Dương District’s People’s Committee, ordered the district’s Education and Training Division to publicise the incident and review the management of teachers.

Hương was one of the five teachers who had signed a short-term contract with An Đồng Primary School due to shortage of staff. The school has 60 teachers and school staff for 1,500 students. — VNS