Home » Opinion » Chinese Views
Behind a child's 'contented death'
By Ni Tao |
January 1, 2010, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A JUNIOR high school in eastern China's Shandong Province has been caught up in a maelstrom of criticism after teachers' alleged negligence led to the death of a student forced to stand outside in freezing weather.
Zhang Jixin, 14, was found dead in a gutter in the early hours of December 18 outside the dormitory complex of Wujing Middle School in Linqu County of Weifang City, Shandong Province.
The boy, who came from a humble farming family, lay on his back, with two packs of instant noodles held against his chest and one hand lodged in his pocket. Zhang's face was covered with a thick layer of frost as temperatures had dropped to minus 10 degrees the night before, Chongqing Evening News reported on December 23.
Why the boy was left to freeze and die in a bitingly cold night has fueled a bitter row, though the parents have decided not to probe the death and are negotiating a cash settlement with the school.
Some of Zhang's classmates told the newspaper that Zhang was ordered by a teacher to stand outside as a punishment for sneaking out to buy instant noodles for a bully roommate who demanded it.
But this assertion is fiercely disputed by the teacher in question, Hu Daofa, who said Zhang's death was only an "accident." So it has to be an "accident" for some people desperate to exonerate themselves. But don't they express any remorse for failing to fulfill their commitments as teachers to students' well-being?
According to the boarding school's regulations, after lights are switched off at night, four teachers are to make routine bed checks on students and patrol in the vicinity of the dormitory.
Weirdly, in the blustering cold night when Zhang's young life came to a tragic end, not a single student was reported missing until more than 10 hours later, when Zhang's icy cold corpse was found.
The school's principal, Yang Guangsheng, said: "My teachers are not entirely to blame. The gutter is deep. A boy of Zhang's build lying down there would apparently be out of sight even under strong light."
Both Yang and a deputy head of the school have been duly suspended from their posts following the incident. But many questions persist over the boy's cause of death. How did a mentally healthy 14-year-old end up dead in a gutter? Why hadn't he sought shelter from the unbearable cold?
To everyone's consternation, one of the school's teachers suggested lightheartedly that those doggedly sifting for the truth behind the boy's death were making much ado about nothing since Zhang died in a "painless and contented" state. The teacher, who was not named, said: "He (Zhang) lay sprawled in an east-west direction. A very peaceful and contented death," said the teacher, without a hint of even feigned conviction.
Whether the speaker was out of his mind to babble such "contented death" gibberish is beyond my comprehension. One thing is clear, though: he has scant regard for human life.
Although Zhang's parents and the school are negotiating compensation for the death, this should not end inquiries into how the boy perished.
That said, we understand how difficult it must have been for the parents to decide not to probe the actual cause of death. In a December 24 interview with media, Zhang's distraught mother said between fits of sobs and sighs: "Don't mention compensation to me any more. I feel guilty of 'trading' my son's life for cash."
For farming families often without realistic legal recourse, getting compensated may be better than taking the risk of going to court and getting nothing.
Many parents like Zhang's are at a financial disadvantage if their litigations against schools drag on indefinitely. So for the imbalance to be redressed, at least this time, local authorities should get to the bottom of this case.
If the perpetrators are simply fined and then reinstated, you can bet it will soon be business as usual. And it may only be a matter of time before we read about the next school child's "contented death."
Zhang Jixin, 14, was found dead in a gutter in the early hours of December 18 outside the dormitory complex of Wujing Middle School in Linqu County of Weifang City, Shandong Province.
The boy, who came from a humble farming family, lay on his back, with two packs of instant noodles held against his chest and one hand lodged in his pocket. Zhang's face was covered with a thick layer of frost as temperatures had dropped to minus 10 degrees the night before, Chongqing Evening News reported on December 23.
Why the boy was left to freeze and die in a bitingly cold night has fueled a bitter row, though the parents have decided not to probe the death and are negotiating a cash settlement with the school.
Some of Zhang's classmates told the newspaper that Zhang was ordered by a teacher to stand outside as a punishment for sneaking out to buy instant noodles for a bully roommate who demanded it.
But this assertion is fiercely disputed by the teacher in question, Hu Daofa, who said Zhang's death was only an "accident." So it has to be an "accident" for some people desperate to exonerate themselves. But don't they express any remorse for failing to fulfill their commitments as teachers to students' well-being?
According to the boarding school's regulations, after lights are switched off at night, four teachers are to make routine bed checks on students and patrol in the vicinity of the dormitory.
Weirdly, in the blustering cold night when Zhang's young life came to a tragic end, not a single student was reported missing until more than 10 hours later, when Zhang's icy cold corpse was found.
The school's principal, Yang Guangsheng, said: "My teachers are not entirely to blame. The gutter is deep. A boy of Zhang's build lying down there would apparently be out of sight even under strong light."
Both Yang and a deputy head of the school have been duly suspended from their posts following the incident. But many questions persist over the boy's cause of death. How did a mentally healthy 14-year-old end up dead in a gutter? Why hadn't he sought shelter from the unbearable cold?
To everyone's consternation, one of the school's teachers suggested lightheartedly that those doggedly sifting for the truth behind the boy's death were making much ado about nothing since Zhang died in a "painless and contented" state. The teacher, who was not named, said: "He (Zhang) lay sprawled in an east-west direction. A very peaceful and contented death," said the teacher, without a hint of even feigned conviction.
Whether the speaker was out of his mind to babble such "contented death" gibberish is beyond my comprehension. One thing is clear, though: he has scant regard for human life.
Although Zhang's parents and the school are negotiating compensation for the death, this should not end inquiries into how the boy perished.
That said, we understand how difficult it must have been for the parents to decide not to probe the actual cause of death. In a December 24 interview with media, Zhang's distraught mother said between fits of sobs and sighs: "Don't mention compensation to me any more. I feel guilty of 'trading' my son's life for cash."
For farming families often without realistic legal recourse, getting compensated may be better than taking the risk of going to court and getting nothing.
Many parents like Zhang's are at a financial disadvantage if their litigations against schools drag on indefinitely. So for the imbalance to be redressed, at least this time, local authorities should get to the bottom of this case.
If the perpetrators are simply fined and then reinstated, you can bet it will soon be business as usual. And it may only be a matter of time before we read about the next school child's "contented death."
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
