Teacher slaps student for chatting in class, unable to solve problem

A Thai secondary school teacher has come under criticism after slapping a 7th grade student for talking to a classmate during a lesson and failing to solve a problem on the board. A video of the incident went viral on social media, prompting the school and teacher to apologise.

The incident took place at a school in Ubon Ratchathani province, during a class on Monday, May 29. The administrators and other teachers interrogated the affected student after receiving information about the situation. The teacher reportedly slapped the student once in the face as they chastised the student for lacking focus during the lecture after the student got in trouble for chatting to a friend.

Upon the revelation of the incident, the director of Po Sai Pattanakan School. Fellow staff members also separately interviewed the student, before notifying the parents about what occurred. The school has since apologised to the student’s family for the event.

Regarding the disciplinary action, the school director issued a warning to the teacher involved and instructed them not to let a similar incident happen again. Furthermore, the teacher also had to visit the student’s home to apologise and compensate for the distress. The teacher complied and assured the parents that she would not repeat the event with any other students.

This case has triggered discussions about student discipline in schools and the importance of teacher-student communication.

Sadly, a similar incident happened a year ago when a Thai teacher in Pattaya was accused of hitting a 10 year-old student for asking too many questions during an exam.

The boy’s mother says he came home with a bruise on his back. The 28 year old mother, Suwanna Phasuk, made a report to the police at the Nong Prue station and says she wants to prevent this from happening to other students. Read more of the story HERE.