Yin Jianting, a 48 year-old high school Chinese teacher of the Second School of Zhuzhou City, Hunan Province, who was dismissed by the local education commission last August for teaching his pragmatic theory -- study for money and marrying a beautiful wife -- to his class, filed a law suit against the Education Commission of Zhuzhou City earlier this year.
The Intermediate People?s Court of Zhuzhou accepted the case on May 15 and opened a court session recently, but didn?t pronounce a judgment after the session.
According to media coverage, Yin Jianting taught his students his doctrine in class and also wrote it into his teaching paper, ?Education Class for Enrolled Students.? It said in part: ?? then, I ask again, what are you studying for? Why go to College? What is your ultimate goal? Perhaps you may say, for communism, for socialist construction. But I will tell you clearly that your study and college education is for yourself, not others. Study is for better competency, more qualifications, so as to get a good job, make big money and enjoy a splendid life, for example, a happy and meaningful life, a promising career, even a beautiful wife and a smart son. Therefore, you study for yourself.? The paper once got the second class Teaching and Research Award of Zhuzhou City.
Some of his students who have been interviewed said, ?He taught us like what he says in general.?
After that, the Education Commission of Zhuzhou paid close attention to the affair, urging the school to criticize Yin Jianting and correct his wrong ideas. The education authority also revoked the award bestowed on Yin on May 11, 2001. Some school leaders talked to Yin, seeking to ?educate? him.
In June of the same year, Yin compiled more than a hundred essays, scribblings and pieces of gossip into a book, Worldly Old Gun, published by a Zhuhai company. But the book was also attacked by his school leadership and the city education authority for using ?wrong words.? In fact, the book did not include his cynical paper.
On August 28, the Second School of Zhuzhou dismissed Yin with the endorsement of the city education commission and the Education Department of Hunan Province. This means Yin can never teach in any educational establishment in Hunan Province. ?But I like students, and I like teaching,? the teacher argued. ?My students performed best in College Entrance Examinations. And I was named as an advanced teacher by the National Association of Education in 1993, senior middle school teacher in 1996, and I was qualified as a leading Chinese teacher in Zhuzhou City by the Education Research Institute of Zhuzhou.?
Dismissed by his school, Yin began to seek a new job in other cities and provinces, but it proved to be not as easy as he imagined as his only skill was teaching. First, he went to Qingdao and then the University of Zhejiang. But all failed for some reason. Considering the pressure from upper official education departments, many schools dare not hire him.
Struggling for bread, Yin is now without a penny. All his savings have been seized by his wife to support their son, who is in college. Driven into a corner, he sought help from the law. A local law office attempted to help him. He signed a power of attorney with the Zhezhong Law Office based in Jinhua, and appealed to the Second School of Zhuzhou and the Education Department of Hunan Province to cancel their dismissal of him.
Should Mr. Yin be dismissed? Pros and cons aroused by the case have so far continued.
Some don?t agree with Yin?s pragmatic theory, but show sympathy for his dismissal, believing his deeds is far from deserving the punishment.
The Second Middle School said its decision was based on law. According to Teacher?s Law, his actions did not tally with the basic professional morals of a teacher, and had had a negative effect on students? moral growth. On top of that, his attitude was no good and he illegally sold his books to students.
According to an Internet survey held by www.people.com.cn, 81 percent of netizens believe the teacher should not be dismissed, while 16 percent agreed with the action and three percent had no opinion.
(china.org.cn by Li Liangdu, July 22, 2002)
