Teacher Brutally Thrashes Student For Dozing Off In Class, Abuse Caught On Camera

A teacher in China was caught on camera brutally thrashing a student for dozing off in the classroom. The video of the abuse went viral on social media, raising concerns about the safety of children in schools.

The incident took place on May 10 in Zhaotong, Yunnan province, southwestern China, according to South China Morning Post (SCMP). The video shows a ninth-grade student being assaulted by a teacher who has been identified only by the last name, Ma.

In the video, the teacher first shakes Liu by grabbing his hair, and then drags him from his seat and pushes him to the floor. He is then seen kicking the student before dragging him out of the classroom.

“After seeing me dozing off, the teacher came over and hit me,” Liu later said, adding that the teacher continued his classes without any action being taken against him until May 21, according to SCMP.

The incident came to light only after a video of the abuse went viral on Chinese social media. Liu's family members also learned about the incident after watching the video online.

“For more than 10 days after my brother was beaten, neither the school nor the local education department contacted me or other relatives,” the student's older brother told local media, The Paper, according to SCMP. The brother also revealed that this was not the first time the teacher had beaten Liu.

“Ma slapped him several times previously, but not as hard as this time,” he said. “My brother did not dare to tell us what happened, and I was heartbroken after seeing the video.”

The older brother said that he is concerned the incident will cause psychological trauma to his younger brother.

“There is only a month until he has to take zhongkao (the Senior High School Entrance Examination in China) and I am concerned that the incident will have an impact on his performance, or more seriously, his later life,” the brother said.

On Sunday, the local government said that Ma had been demoted and transferred to a non-teaching role. It remains unclear if any charges or legal action will be taken against him.