Acts of School Violence That Can Result in One-Year Expulsion in Vietnam

What is School Violence?

According to Clause 5, Article 2 Decree 80/2017/ND-CP, school violence is defined as acts of torment, abuse, beating; physical and health harm; humiliation, insult to honor and dignity; ostracism, expulsion, and other intentional acts causing physical and mental damage to learners occurring in educational institutions or independent classes.

What are acts of school violence that result in a one-year expulsion in Vietnam?

Based on the regulations in Subsection 5, Section III of Circular 08/TT in 1988 guiding the commendation and enforcement of student discipline in general education schools issued by the Ministry of Education, the level of punishment for specific acts of school violence is as follows:

Forms of Disciplinary Enforcement:

...

5. One-Year Expulsion:

- Students who commit any of the following serious breaches will be proposed by the school's Disciplinary Council to the Principal for a decision on one-year expulsion, recorded in their academic record, and notified to their family. They will be handed over to their family, team, and local government for continued education:

- Committing breaches that have been punished with a one-week expulsion by the school Principal but still fail to improve, continue to reoffend, or even commit other serious breaches

- Committing extremely serious breaches for the first time, but these are conscious and proactive actions (not being incited or coerced), causing significant and dangerous harm to social property and human life, such as: participating in theft, robbery, debauchery, reactionary organizations; using weapons (knives, bayonets, pistols, grenades, etc.) in organized fights, causing injuries to others, being arrested by the police for crimes outside school, or other breaches of equivalent nature and severity

- After enforcing a one-year expulsion, the school must complete a full dossier and immediately report it to the directly managing higher education authority: Department of Education for secondary students and Department of Education for high school students for information and monitoring

Thus, students involved in fights causing injuries to others, committing crimes outside school leading to police arrest, or committing other breaches of equivalent nature and severity will be expelled for one year.

Acts of School Violence That Can Result in One-Year Expulsion in Vietnam (Image from the Internet)

What shall high school students in Vietnam do during a one-week expulsion?

Based on the regulations in Subsection 4, Section III of Circular 08/TT in 1988:

- One-Week Expulsion:

+ Students who commit breaches that have been warned in front of the whole school but fail to repent and correct their mistakes, negatively impacting other students; or committing a serious first-time breach that severely affects the honor of the school, teachers, and student body such as: theft, robbery, organized fights causing injuries to others, or other breaches of equivalent nature and severity will be reviewed by the school's Disciplinary Council and proposed to the Principal for decision and enforcement, and reported to the directly managing higher education authority for information and monitoring

+ This disciplinary form will be recorded in the student's academic record and notified to the family for coordinated education

+ During the one-week expulsion, the student must deeply reflect on their breaches. If they show sincere remorse and determination to rectify their mistakes to make progress, after the expulsion period, the Principal may consider and decide to allow them to continue their studies. The period of expulsion will be considered an authorized absence if they are permitted to return to school.

+ If during the one-week expulsion, the student fails to show sincerity in reflecting on and correcting their mistakes, and even commits additional serious breaches, the Disciplinary Council will propose to the Principal for a decision on one-year expulsion

+ The student's family is responsible for managing and educating their child during the expulsion period.

Thus, high school students expelled for one week must deeply reflect on their breaches. If they show sincere remorse and determination to correct their mistakes for improvement, the Principal may consider and decide to allow them to continue their studies after the expulsion period.

The period of expulsion will be considered an authorized absence if they are permitted to return to school.