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Schoolchildren in China should in future be better protected against violence by teachers through stricter laws (archive image)
Photo: STR / AFP
China's schools are known for drill and discipline.
But again and again teachers apparently go far too far with their strict course.
After the death of several students, the Chinese Ministry of Education has now tightened the ban on harsh physical or psychological punishment in schools.
As reported by the AFP news agency, teachers have not been allowed to humiliate their protégés since Monday.
The already existing ban on corporal punishment was further specified.
Beating and verbal abuse are prohibited, and students may no longer be forced to stand for hours or kneel on the floor.
Corporal punishment has been banned in China since 1986, but teachers who do not adhere to the ban have rarely faced consequences.
As the newspaper "China Daily" reported, a student is said to have committed suicide last year after being humiliated by her teacher.
According to AFP, a ten-year-old schoolgirl died in September after being beaten by a teacher in Sichuan province.
How it wants to better enforce the new rules, however, the ministry left open.
In the case of minor offenses, the pupils should write apology letters that they have forgotten to do homework or make themselves useful in the classrooms.
In the case of more serious offenses such as bullying, they can be excluded from class or have to undergo therapy.
China also wants to introduce a ban on corporal punishment in the family with another law.
The National People's Congress is due to adopt it at its annual meeting beginning on Friday.
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