Use of Mobile Phones During Class... Controversy Over Excessive Punishment Like "Soaking in Water"

Ordered to put it into a water-filled basin
Chinese netizens criticize "incompetent school"

A teacher in China has sparked controversy by punishing students who brought mobile phones to school by dunking their phones in water.

On the 17th, according to Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) and others, a teacher named A at a middle school in Guizhou Province, southwestern China, made students who violated school rules by bringing mobile phones to school put their phones directly into a basin filled with water as punishment.

[Image source=Pixabay]

The video capturing the scene recently went viral online, leading to criticism of the teacher locally. The released footage shows a basin filled with water placed on a podium, with students one by one putting their phones into it. The basin was full of mobile phones believed to belong to the students.

The middle school where teacher A works reportedly prohibits mobile phone use, as well as dating, smoking, and drinking. To prevent students from bringing phones to school, A reportedly obtained prior consent from parents for punishments up to throwing phones.

A said, "Throwing phones on the floor could have a negative impact on the children, so I judged that handling it this way was a more appropriate solution." It is known that the students complied reluctantly because their parents approved the punishment.

However, A’s actions have drawn strong criticism from local netizens. Comments included, "Why not just confiscate the phones and return them after school?" and "This kind of punishment cannot teach students in a reasonable way. It shows how incompetent the school is."

This is not the first case in China where extreme punishment was given for bringing mobile phones to school.

In 2021, a teacher in Hunan Province made students throw their smartphones on the floor because they did not submit their phones before class. The teacher even picked up a student’s smartphone and slammed it on the floor like playing a card game called ttakji. After the controversy, the teacher reportedly faced penalties such as fines.