A school attempted to calm concerned parents yesterday following a bullying incident that left a 7-year-old boy with impaired hearing after a pencil eraser was forced into his ear.
Chau Yam Ling, the headmistress of the Church of Christ in China Hoh Fuk Tong Primary School, told parents at a meeting held yesterday morning that the Education Bureau was investigating and that a report into the case will be submitted tomorrow.
This comes after the boy, surnamed Yu, was discharged from hospital on Sunday after having surgery to remove the eraser that was pushed into his ear by two classmates earlier this month.
According to Apple Daily, parents at the meeting were demanding answers from the school about how the incident happened and where the teachers were at the time.
Video recorded by one of the parents at the meeting and posted by the newspaper shows Chau urging parents to be patient, adding “we should deal with the incident with caution, fairness, and impartiality”.
The headmistress added that it was the school’s responsibility to ensure a safe learning environment for all pupils.
However, the parents of the victim seemed unimpressed with the school’s response, describing the school’s answers as “bureaucratic talk”, and saying that the meeting was to appease other parents.
When answering questions from journalists waiting outside the school yesterday, the mother said the school seemed compelled to hold the meeting because of the widespread media attention on the case.
Chau told Apple Daily that the school went to the hospital on Sunday to visit the boy, only to find out that he had already been discharged from the hospital. However, the mother said she received no contact from the school until yesterday morning when they arrived at the school for the meeting.
She added that they do not doubt the mother’s story, but stressed that they needed time to understand the situation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ibdkx8oANk
Reader Interactions