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The incident only came to light when another student told his parents what had happened. Education authorities in Japan are to discipline a teacher who forced two students to drink diluted hydrochloric acid, the latest incident to trigger concern over corporal punishment in the nation's schools. The teacher, who has not been named but is from Gamagori, ordered the boys to drink the solution after they reported an incorrect result in a science experiment on January 18, the Nikkei Shimbun reported. The incident only came to light when another student told his parents what had happened. Officials of the local board of education in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, said the teacher had informed them that the acid posed no danger to the children as it was diluted. But the authorities were not convinced. "As this incident posed a risk to the life and health of students, it was a grave failure of leadership and we can only apologise to the students and their families," the board said in a statement. "We are currently deciding in disciplinary measures for the teacher involved." The incident has focused new attention on the punishments meted out to children in Japan's schools. Teachers are forbidden to use corporal punishment against pupils, but the suicide of a 17-year-old student on December 23 has demonstrated that it remains an integral part of school life here. | 
