Self-styled China education expert with violent approach to teaching exposed as ex-primary school teacher
- Online ‘expert’ says education not complete without physical punishment
- Has 300,000 followers who watch controversial study videos on Douyin
A self-styled educational key opinion leader (KOL) in China who uses physical punishment against students has sparked an online debate about parenting and educational styles on the mainland.
Zhao Juying, 55, from Gansu province in north-central China, has about 300,000 followers on Douyin who watch videos of her visits to students around the country.
Her profile says that she is a senior education expert with 33 years of experience in the field. She claims to have given more than 1,000 lectures and boasts that she has a son who mastered four languages by the age of seven.
Zhao also says she is a lecturer in home schooling who has been certified by the American Positive Discipline Association, and is a senior psychotherapy counsellor.
However, there is no record of her on the association’s website.
In fact, she is a retired primary school teacher, according to the mainland news outlet, The Paper.
Zhao claims that during her home visits she is able to rapidly improve a child’s academic performance.
She also believes that education without punishment is incomplete.
In one of the videos, Zhao is seen using a ruler to hit a boy’s palms and asking him to smash his toys with a hammer. She also installs a surveillance camera in his room.
In another video, she tears up a girl’s comic book, and criticises the child for being childish.
Her punitive style of education has sparked a heated discussion on mainland social media, with many people calling it bullying.
“This suffocating education style has long been outdated, and people like Zhao are not worthy of being teachers,” one online observer said on Weibo.
“Love and gentleness are the best medicines for educating children,” said another.
Officials also condemned Zhao’s educating style.
“Using the pretext of home visits to perpetrate violence will only bring physical and psychological harm to students,” said a China state media report on Weibo.
The Education Bureau of Gansu province has begun investigating the authenticity of Zhao’s identity and qualifications.
In China, “Tiger Mum” and “Wolf Dad” are terms used to refer to strict parents who employ harsh methods to push their children to excel academically.
The country’s most famous “Wolf Dad” Xiao Baiyou believes that physical discipline is the greatest form of love a parent can give to a child.
Xiao established rules when his children reached four years old, dishing out severe beatings with a cane and a feather duster if they failed to complete daily homework.
Of his four children, three gained admission to the prestigious Peking University, while another was accepted into one of the nation’s premier music academies.
In recent years, as traditional grades-oriented education gradually gives way to a different style, fewer parents are resorting to tough love to help their children navigate academia.
Young Chinese parents are more likely to have a “Buddha-like” parenting approach, prioritising their children’s physical and mental well-being.
Liao Wenlong, 25, from Wuhan in central China, whose son is three months old, told the Post: “My educational philosophy is to go with the flow, avoid forcing or spoiling. Just do the best I can within my own capabilities for my son.”
