Vice principal slaps student for smoking electronic cigarette

On the evening of September 23, the news that a student had his eardrum punctured by the vice principal of Dao Son Tay High School caused a stir on the Ho Chi Minh City student forum.

Reply Reporter, Ms. Hoang Thi Hao, Principal of Dao Son Tay High School, confirmed the incident. However, Ms. Hao said that the student only had tinnitus and was still going to school and living normally.

"When the information spread on social media, I talked to the student's parents. The parents confirmed that the student did not have a perforated eardrum," said Ms. Hao.

The incident happened on the afternoon of September 19. Seeing a 12th grade male student posting pictures of him smoking an electronic cigarette on social media, Vice Principal Nguyen Van Ngai called him down to his office.

"At first, the student denied it, claiming that he did not smoke e-cigarettes and said, 'It's my life, I have the right to decide.' In anger, the vice principal slapped the student," said Ms. Hao.

The student later admitted to using the e-cigarette, apologized to the teacher, and wrote a commitment not to repeat the offense. The vice principal also apologized to the student for his inappropriate actions in a moment of anger.

Ms. Hao said that this male student had been using e-cigarettes since 10th grade, and had been discovered by the school many times and had written a commitment but still reoffended. On the afternoon of September 20, the school invited the student’s parents to discuss. Mr. Ngai apologized and the parents accepted.

"Regardless, the teacher hitting the student was wrong. The school will learn from the experience and take note in the quarterly and annual performance evaluation of the vice principal," said Ms. Hao.

Buying, selling, and using tobacco, alcohol, drugs, and stimulants are among the prohibited behaviors for students according to the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training. This is also reflected in school regulations.

However, the use and experimentation of e-cigarettes by students is becoming increasingly complicated. In April, four 10th and 11th graders at Ha Dong High School in Hanoi had to be taken to the emergency room due to dizziness, fatigue, and nausea after smoking and drinking water containing e-cigarette oil. Previously, in December 2022, eight third graders in Hanoi were taken to the hospital with symptoms of nausea after trying e-cigarettes picked up by their friends during recess. Similar incidents have occurred in many other provinces and cities.

The results of the 2019 World Health Organization (WHO) Global Student Health Survey with nearly 7,800 students in 21 provinces and cities in Vietnam showed that 2.57% of students aged 13-17 smoke e-cigarettes. In secondary and high school, the percentage of students who have used e-cigarettes is 2.15% and 3.1%, respectively.