In China, a nine-year-old girl underwent an emergency surgery for a severely damaged skull, after a teacher allegedly used a metal ruler to hit her on the head, sparking outrage on mainland social media. According to South China Morning Post (SCMP), the teacher, identified as Song Mouming, was employed at Bocai Meixihu Primary School in Hunan province, central China. He was arrested by the local police after the incident, the outlet further said. The incident occurred at 4pm on September 6 during an extracurricular school activity.
The SCMP report said that Song purportedly struck the girl's head with a metal triangular scale ruler. This resulted in a deep 5cm wound and a fractured skull. However, it is not known why the alleged attack took place.
After the alleged assault, the teacher brought the girl to the school's medical professional, who diagnosed the injury as a minor wound, suggesting that only stitches were necessary.
The school later sent the girl to a local hospital, but the doctors did not provided emergency surgery without the parents' consent. Due to this rule, the school had to inform the girl's family, the outlet said.
When her parents reached the hospital, some tests were conducted that showed bone fragments in her head. "Her brain was almost coming out. It could have been fatal," the girl's aunt told a local outlet, said SCMP.
The emergency surgery went on for five hours. The girl is still in intensive care unit and remains serious.
The incident caused widespread anger in China, especially on social media where users criticised the teacher and the school's response.
"Send him to jail. Such a despicable person can be a teacher!" one user said on Baidu, said the SCMP report.
"The teacher is a demon," commented another.
After the outrage, the school said it will prioritise the safety of its students and cooperate with the police investigation.
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