A Japanese primary school teacher was reprimanded for giving his pupils a math problem in which he asked how long it would take to kill 18 children at a rate of three murders a day, AFP reported Wednesday.
The 45-year-old male teacher, whose name has been withheld, apologized for giving the quiz to his pupils, aged seven and eight, at his public school in Okazaki, central Japan.
"I did it carelessly. I deeply reflect on my conduct," he was quoted as saying by the officials over the incident in May, which apparently led to a parent complaining to the school in July.
The teacher reportedly asked the children: "There are 18 kids. If we kill three per day, how many days it will take?"
The school board said it handed the teacher a "strict reprimand."
"It should not happen again," said Kumiko Atsumi, a board official. "We are very sorry. We are taking measures to prevent a repeat of similar cases."
News of the incident emerged as new education ministry statistics said cases of violence at Japanese schools rose for a fourth straight year to a record 60,913 cases for the year to March, with 165 student suicides.
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