Three in every 10 students have been scolded with impolite language by teachers, according to a survey conducted in schools in Beijing recently.

More than half of the elementary school students interviewed said they had received derogatory comments such as "stupid" and "idiot", which had affected their self-esteem.

Seventy-two percent of the junior middle school students and 40 per cent of senior students said they could not stand the use of such words.

"Such language used with sneering, offensive, insulting, and discriminating intentions will hurt the feeling of students and damage their self-esteem," said Zhang Xuemei, the survey organizer and a Beijing lawyer devoted to the protection of young people's rights.

The survey was carried out among 315 students from about 30 local elementary and middle schools between August and December last year by Beijing Child Legal Aid Centre, which Zhang works for.

It found the majority of pupils chose to keep silent about it, even though they were unhappy with the comments.

Only 5 percent of elementary pupils and 10 percent of middle school students would complain to relevant authorities, the survey showed.

"The survey indicates only a small group of the youngsters have the awareness to protect themselves by law," Zhang said.

Zhang suggested complaint channels be established in schools to provide a communication platform between students and school authorities.

A mother, in her 40s, who asked not to be named, said the report highlighted a major problem.

She has previously filed a complaint to the child legal aid centre over the way her 17-year-old son has been treated.

"My boy's teachers are often very rude to him. The only reason for the unfair treatment is his poor academic performance.

"Now he shies away from his classmates and feels isolated."

She said she hoped children would receive encouragement from teachers instead of scolding.

However, Xu Yongjie, in his 40s, who is head of a key middle school in Deyang, in southwest China's Sichuan Province, told that the relationship between students and teachers has changed extensively in recent years.

When I was young, not only scolding but also spanking were common punishments for naughty students, he said.

At that time, parents were happy at such treatment because they believed this meant their children received a lot of concern and care from teachers, he added.

"But nowadays, both parents and students cannot tolerate such behaviour and become very easily offended," he said.

He suggested teachers should learn more efficient communication skills to create a pleasant study environment.

(China Daily March 2, 2006)