As reported by Lao Dong Newspaper, the incident of students of Thai Nguyen University of Education reporting their refusal to receive relief supplies in the midst of floods has caused a stir in public opinion.
Immediately afterwards, the leaders of Thai Nguyen University of Education met to assess the incident and issue a report to all students and parents, signed by Associate Professor, Dr. Mai Xuan Truong - Principal of the school.
The content confirmed the incident that occurred on the morning of October 8 at the dormitory and said that the person who posted the article reflected that he was a student of the school.
Accordingly, at around 10:30 a.m., a resident came to the dormitory to request food support for students trapped, because the residents in the dormitory could not contact the Board of Directors, so they refused to accept it because they were concerned about food safety.
The school affirmed that there was no direction or intervention from the Board of Directors, and said that the school had requested the suspension of the kitchen service staff for inappropriate actions.
In an interview with Lao Dong Newspaper, lawyer Tran Dai Lam - ANVI Law Firm LLC said that giving the reason for not being consulted by leaders to refuse relief is not in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control.
The law stipulates natural disaster prevention and control according to the 4-on-site motto, in which "on-site command" allows the person directly managing to proactively organize immediate rescue.
That means employees have the right and obligation to support students in isolation, and are not allowed to wait for instructions from superiors, because delays in natural disasters can lead to serious consequences.
Lawyer Lam believes that if the educational institution does not have a temporary authorization mechanism or an urgent handling plan, this is a mistake in the organization stage, violating the spirit of "4 on-site" prescribed by law.
In addition, the behavior of only accepting cash payments during flood times needs to be considered from the perspective of the Law on Consumer Protection 2023.
According to this Law, consumers have the right to access essential services equally, fairly and conveniently, limiting payment forms is an act of limiting access to services.
The law also requires business organizations to be responsible for creating conditions for consumers to exercise their rights, especially in the context of natural disasters, when the use of cash is limited or impossible.
Regarding relief work, the provisions of the Law on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control determine that educational institutions are on-site forces, responsible for coordinating rescue and ensuring safety for learners.
Rejecting or obstructing a relief team when students are isolated is an act that violates the principle of "mutual love and support", and can be considered irresponsible in disaster response.
According to the lawyer, the responsibility belongs not only to individuals but also to the management system's shortcomings, when response plans have not been disseminated or clear assignments in emergency situations have not been assigned.
The law also stipulates that the head of the facility must take primary responsibility if there is a slowdown in command, a shortage of people assigned authority when communication is interrupted or the leader is absent.
Regarding the incident, previously, in an interview with reporters, a leader of Thai Nguyen National University of Education said that he would review, overcome and learn from experience to avoid similar situations.
