Teacher suicide in China prompts investigation into school pressures

A tragic suicide incident involving a 23 year old primary school teacher in China has caught the attention of many. The young woman, known as Lu, jumped from a six-story building ending her life, leaving behind a heart-wrenching note found by her sister on her mobile phone. The school is currently under scrutiny for denying access to the security camera footage.

Recently, the sudden suicide of a 23 year old primary school teacher from Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, China, has engrossed numerous social media users. On October 31, an article was posted detailing the upsetting story of Lu, a 23 year old primary school teacher. Her sister recounted that on October 22, Lu had left home for school as usual, only to receive news five days later on October 27 that her sister had committed suicide by jumping from a building.

“My sister was always cheerful and had a positive outlook on life. When she left home and returned from school on October 22, she was in very high spirits. I have no idea what happened at school five days later.”

The 23 year old primary school teacher, Lu, had just graduated the previous year and had passed her teacher’s examination in August. She began her career at a primary school, but just two months later, she jumped from the sixth floor of a building, ending her life prematurely.

Her sister further shared that Lu had many dreams. She was saving up to buy a car, planning holidays, and had many plans for the future.

“I can’t believe it would be so easy for her, to end her life over trivial matters.”

Unfulfilled dreams

After Lu’s death, her sister found a suicide note in her mobile phone, written at 11.44pm on October 26, just before the young teacher decided to take her own life. The note read…

“I can’t bear it anymore. I feel like I can’t breathe. I feel like I’m in a cage. Every day we have to work till our last breath.”

In one paragraph, she wrote…

“I never thought that being a primary school teacher would be this hard. I really want to teach my students well, but the school’s activities and leadership inspections make us, fresh graduates who have just become class teachers, feel like we’re in a cage. This cage is getting smaller every day. Every day we have to work till our last breath.”

Her sister said that her sister was happy and had a positive view of the world. But during the two months she worked at the school, she only encountered negative things every day.

“She had always wanted to be a teacher and prioritized teaching from the moment she applied for college. After graduation, she officially became a teacher. Her dream had just begun and then this happened.”

She also revealed that as soon as she started working, Lu was appointed as class president. When the female teachers talked to each other, they would often complain that in addition to teaching, they also had to face strict inspections from their superiors.

They had to prepare documents and promotional materials for the school and participate in other activities. The extracurricular activities were extremely stressful. Preparing lessons or going to class was the most relaxing time for the 23 year old woman.

Quest for truth

“Since she started working, my sister rarely had a day off on the weekend. Going to bed late became a daily routine. In addition to preparing lessons, she also had to do overtime work and participate in other extracurricular activities of the school.”

One thing she remembered most was that even though it was dark outside, her sister still had to go to school to count pomegranate seeds because the school was hosting a Pomegranate Festival on the following day. The teachers had to go back to school to count the amount of pomegranate. The sister expressed her confusion.

“The duty of a teacher is to teach, isn’t it? Preparing lessons and teaching every day is already tiring. Why are teachers also assigned tasks that have nothing to do with teaching?”

The school refused to let family members view the CCTV footage. Later, an insider revealed to Lu’s sister that the young teacher was criticised by the headmaster on the day before she committed suicide. If you want to know what Lu went through in the week before her suicide, you should check the cameras in the school.

“The family wants to check the CCTV footage, but the school refuses. We just want to know what happened to her at school.”

The sister said they had contacted the school several times but did not get a clear answer. Even Lu’s WeChat account was removed from the group related to work in the school.

According to a report from Beijing News, officials from the Guangcheng District Education and Sports Bureau said that the relevant departments have now stepped in to investigate the teacher suicide matter, reported Sanook.

Follow more of The Thaiger’s latest stories on our new Facebook page HERE.