A high school in Vietnam bought votive paper and hired a priest to perform a ritual to resolve bad luck, causing dissatisfaction among many teachers.

On Sunday afternoon, a leader from the Dak Lak Province Department of Education and Training said they had inspected the high school in Ea H'leo District whose principal admitted the issue and promised not to repeat similar acts.

The department asked the school to submit a report on the issue by Monday.

Earlier, many teachers and staff spread images showing a group, including the principal and labor union chairperson of the school, kneeling before an altar full of votive paper and offerings set up in the center of the school. 

In addition, there was a tray of food offerings placed on the ground with a mat underneath. Nearby, a man in a yellow shirt, hired by the school, was performing the ritual to resolve bad luck.

According to the teachers' reports, the ritual took place at around 3:00 pm on Saturday, right in the area where the school holds flag-raising ceremonies and extracurricular activities.

One teacher said, "While the prime minister has ordered the prevention of burning votive paper to ward off superstitions, here at the school, the principal and labor union chairperson organized the ritual, making many parents and teachers uncomfortable." 

Regarding this incident, the principal of the high school admitted to the purchase of votive paper and hiring a priest for the ritual on Saturday. 

He emphasized that he did not support superstitions, burning votive paper, or performing rituals in the school. 

However, the shared images showed the ritual being fully set up in the school, with votive paper and candles, with the principal and labor union chairperson kneeling and offering incense.

The principal explained that the school had previously experienced a death, and recently, the security guard noticed barn owls flying around the school, which made him feel uneasy.

Barn owls are locally considered symbols of bad luck or omens of death.

As a result, the security guard prepared offerings and invited the priest to perform the ritual without informing the principal beforehand.

The offerings were set up before the principal found out, and when it was discovered, the principal participated out of sympathy, he claimed.

"Yesterday afternoon, I rushed to the school, and the guard invited me to the place of the ritual to offer incense. Seeing that everything was already set up, I just joined in," the principal said.

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