The Ministry of Education in Jordan has reduced the penalty for the two private school students who assaulted their classmate, caught it on video and shared it on social media from expulsion to a warning.

The ministry sent an official letter in response to the school’s request signed by the Secretary General for Educational Affairs, Mohammad Al-Okour, dated March 15, 2018.

In it, the ministry decided to not deprive the two students from attending school but reinstate them and reduced the punishment to a “warning” instead.

The ministry initially reacted strongly to the incident, which happened in the end of February, and ensured that they will take measures against the school and make sure the perpetrators were disciplined accordingly.

After the video went viral, the school announced its deep regret and denounced the assault that had happened on their premises, as inappropriate and contrary to the values they instil in their students.

In a lengthy Facebook post on March 4, Minister of Education Omar Razzaz addressed bullying and rhetorically asked whether we, as a community, should accept the status quo where issues are resolved through violent means.