The recent case of a university lecturer publicly slapping his dean in southern China has triggered widespread debate online over how China’s youth should face campus corruption and unfair treatment in terms of salaries and promotion.
Gan Yang, 64, dean of the Liberal Arts College of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, was sent to the hospital after he was slapped by lecturer Li Siya on Thursday, according to a statement posted on the college's website on Saturday.
Li allegedly hit the dean over allegations that Gan was behind the cancellation of teacher evaluations in October the previous year, in which he was supposed to have had a good chance to be promoted to associate professor, the Global Times reported on Monday.
Such behavior completely violates the code of conduct and ethics required of a college teacher, the university said in its online statement, adding that local police have already launched an investigation into the incident.
"No matter what the reason is, slapping shouldn't happen in an academic workplace, and the university will deal with the aggressor fairly," a staff member with Sun Yat-sen University's publicity department told Guangzhou Daily.
Chu Zhaohui, a research fellow at China National Institute for Educational Research and a colleague of Li, told the Global Times on Sunday that Li had failed to secure a professorship through an evaluation in March the previous year despite his academic achievements outstripping those of his competitors.
If a lecturer at Sun Yat-sen University fails to become an associate professor within nine years, he or she will be reassigned to an administrative position or transferred to one of the university's subordinate colleges.
It generally takes six to seven years for a lecturer to be promoted to associate professor at the university, according to the Yangcheng Evening News.
"Though hitting is certainly wrong, it is not rare in universities," said Xiong Bingqi, dean of 21st Century Education Research Institute.
In 2014, a 52-year-old professor at Hainan University was sentenced to five months in jail for assaulting another professor.
Many academic commissions fail to solve academic disputes among teachers, as most of them are set up to serve administrative functions, said Xiong.
Chu added that many of China's young teachers are under intense pressure due to fierce competition for professorships, and that administrative power often interferes in evaluations.