Story By: John Feng, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report

Video Credit: AsiaWire

A teacher who hit the headlines after he was filmed mercilessly flogging a crying pupil in front of his classmates until the stick he was using broke claims the lad’s parents ordered the punishment. 

The maths teacher named by parents as Chen Changjiang, who is also the founder of the cram school called ‘Liu Liu’, has since been taken into custody and his unlicensed business suspended by officials in Shizhu Tujia Autonomous County, which is in south-western China’s Chongqing Municipality.

The boy, meanwhile, was taken to hospital for a physical and psychological evaluation, and will be given counselling, officials said.

Harrowing footage secretly filmed by one of his pupils showed Chen, 51, repeatedly striking the schoolboy with a stick until it broke. 

He is seen hitting the child, 12, more than 40 times while also forcing him to kneel on the classroom floor.

Chen has since revealed to local media that the boy, surnamed Gui, is one of his relatives.

He said: “The pupil is the son of a relative. His parents put him in my care because they couldn’t handle him.

“They wanted me to help get rid of his bad habits. They told me to do what needed to be done.

“The previous chapter was very difficult. I reached the end but he still couldn’t do the basics. I was very angry.

“And he didn’t concentrate in class either, so I wanted him to try harder.”

Chen was also quoted as saying: “The child’s parents told me to give him a ruthless beating. He wasn’t hurt.”

Local officials, who have detained Chen for 10 days and fined him 500 RMB (58 GBP) while investigations continue, have shut his unlicensed cram school.

After the incident came to light, the authorities claimed Chen had ignored multiple orders to suspend his cram school’s operations.

Education officials said Chen teaches mathematics and had over 120 pupils, but the school offered lessons in Mandarin and English as well.

Reports said parents sent their children to Chen because they knew he was strict.

He has not publicly apologised but has conceded that his actions were inappropriate.

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