National Taiwan College of Performing Arts lecturer Lee Tung-chun (李菄峻) yesterday apologized for assaulting a female student in class, while the Ministry of Education said that Lee could be dismissed for his behavior.
The Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) on Friday night received a report from a parent whose child is a classmate of the victim.
Surveillance camera footage shows Lee physically assaulting a female student at the school’s affiliated junior college during Hakka drama class, kicking her in the stomach and the back five times, before hitting her head and slapping her.
The video shows how the student is repeatedly pushed back by Lee and struggles to get back on her feet while the beating continues.
“I cannot bear to watch a student take a beating like that. How much malice did he [Lee] harbor toward the student when he kicked her like that?” the informant said.
“Many students who live in the college’s dormitories are from financially disadvantaged families, but being underprivileged does not mean they can be treated this violently,” the informant added.
College Student Affairs Office dean Cheng Yu-chun (程育君) confirmed Lee’s use of violence and said that the case had been forwarded to the school’s teacher evaluation committee for review.
Lee on Friday night was unapologetic for his behavior, saying that he hit the student because he was angered by her crying.
The student, who has a lead role in the school’s graduation play, had not learned her part and he worried this would affect the play’s performance, he said.
Lee adopted a different tone yesterday after the video of the assault went viral.
“I would like to make a heartfelt apology to everyone,” he said.
Lee said that his actions were “for the student’s sake” and were meant to help her improve her results.
The school, which was formerly a junior college, had a tradition of corporal punishment before it was upgraded to a college, Lee said, adding that he realized the practice is no longer acceptable.
“I have set a bad example. I will assume responsibility for my actions,” he said.
The footage sparked a torrent of criticism when it was leaked onto Professional Technology Temple (PTT), the nation’s most popular online bulletin-board system.
“This is no corporal punishment. This is assault,” one PTT user said.
“The fact that corporal punishment has given society scum like you proves that it is an ineffective teaching method,” another user said.
Deputy Minister of Education Lin Teng-chiao (林騰蛟) said that Lee could face punishments ranging from a demerit to suspension or dismissal.
The school should complete a review of the case within two weeks and punish Lee accordingly, and in addition, it should provide counseling to the victim, Lin said, adding that the ministry would not condone any form of corporal punishment.
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