Several ministry-level departments, including those responsible for education, commerce and emergency management, recently responded to issues of public concern.

Public comment sought on school discipline rules

The Ministry of Education published draft regulations on the ways primary and middle school teachers can discipline students on Friday and invited members of the public to give their opinions about them.

The purpose of the regulations, the draft says, is to make sure teachers fulfill their duties to teach and manage students, regulate the ways they fulfill such duties, safeguard their dignity and promote the healthy development of students.

Teachers have a right to apply proper discipline to students who violate school codes or the law, or engage in other behavior that hampers teaching activities, according to the draft.

Schools and government departments in charge of educational affairs should support teachers in properly exercising that right, while stopping them from violating students' lawful rights.

The purpose of disciplinary actions should be to help students improve themselves. Teachers should decide the proper ways to discipline students, carry them out according to law, and must ensure students' safety.

The disciplinary actions teachers are allowed to apply to students who have engaged in minor violations include identifying them in public and criticizing them.

Disciplines for serious violations include suspending students from extracurricular activities, having them take a "time out" at school, and suspending them from classes for no more than a week.

The draft also lays out the kinds of behavior teachers are forbidden to engage in. They include hitting or pricking students and other ways of inflicting physical pain, abusing students with words, discriminating against them, and punishing a whole class if some students have committed violations.