KUALA LUMPUR – A leaked video featuring a university professor scolding a university student for using a mobile phone for an online class as he apparently could not afford a computer has gone viral overnight, eliciting outrage from netizens.
Upon discovering that the student was attending the class on his phone, the professor berated him for not having a computer during the fifth semester and suggested that he should get his sister to sell off her gold bracelet to purchase one.
Several Twitter users expressed disappointment and even revulsion, among them Muar MP and Muda chief Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who is a former youth and sports minister.
He said that a third of students in Malaysia do not have a laptop or tablet, based on a survey conducted by the Education Ministry. He also noted a worrying rate of student dropout.
Syed Saddiq said it would be better to help such students to get laptops, instead of insulting them.
Kajian kementerian pendidikan menunjukkan 1/3 pelajar di Malaysia tiada Laptop atau tablet.
— Syed Saddiq (@SyedSaddiq) March 29, 2022
Kadar keciciran pelajar sangat menakutkan
Mereka tidak pilih untuk terus miskin sampai tidak mampu untuk beli laptop.
Dari menghina, lebih baik bantu mereka dapatkan laptop. https://t.co/eST0S4Qz55
The viral video, which has been viewed by over 900,000 viewers by early morning today, was shared by over 50,000 Twitter users, and has caused dissatisfaction among many parties.
However, the account that shared it has since been deleted. The student who was the victim has not been identified.
In the clip, the professor told the student that he would not be able to study well because he did not have a computer, and that he would become a dropout.
She then quipped that she was willing to have no clothes and even only have five pieces of clothing just to own a computer.
“The price of a computer is only RM800, what's your problem?” the professor is heard telling the student.
“That’s why I can’t sit with B40 people, these people only think more about other things than education.”
The professor then told the victim to switch off the camera and she didn’t want to see him again.
Earlier she had asked him about his parents, to which he explained that his father was not working and his mother was no more.
Then the professor asked again if he had siblings and added: “You tell your sister, if she has a gold bracelet, go sell it and go buy a computer.”
Meanwhile, Mahasiswa Roket, DAP’s student wing, called for action to be taken against the professor and for her to apologise.
“We urge UiTM to suspend or drop this professor while an investigation is underway. And we ask this professor to issue an apology,” they said in a tweet.
KENYATAAN MEDIA MAHASISWA ROKET
— Mahasiswa Roket (@MahasiswaRoket) March 29, 2022
DESAKAN AGAR PROF. DR. TS. ROSHANA DIGANTUNG DARIPADA MENGAJAR pic.twitter.com/71YmAqxHaa
Another person claiming to be a niece of the lecturer said that she was a “naturally harsh person”.
I said she’s naturally a harsh person. But yes, I agree. Her remarks here were pretty rude and uncalled for. Which is why I’m going to talk to my cousin tomorrow. Y’know when it’s not midnight.
— tyung tyung (@FarahAmiraAH) March 29, 2022
Another user expressed his concern about the possibility that B40 students will be discouraged from pursuing their studies because of the behaviour of one lecturer.
It takes one lecturer like this to spoil the confidence of b40 students and regret their choice of furthering their studies.
— Yoogeswaran.K (@YoogezwarenK) March 29, 2022
Not all students comes fully equipped. But if the lecturer is not helping to overcome all this, I think it’s time to question her passion for education. https://t.co/b4O1PuPMkc
“It absolutely broke me when she demeaningly asked him to shut off his camera because she didn’t want to see him anymore,” said one netizen.
it absolutely broke me when she demeaningly asked him to shut off his camera bc she didnt want to see him anymore. https://t.co/Z3x2geF4OL
— freyr (@notsoaidil) March 29, 2022
There were many more comments from Twitter users who slammed the professor’s conduct and asked her to look up why UiTM was set up, in reference to its aim to uplift poor students.
DAP lawmaker and former deputy youth and sports minister Steven Sim criticized the lecturer for insulting the student’s background, and offered to give the student a new laptop.
“I agree with the professor that one’s family background should not get in the way of education. But I do not agree with how the professor insulted the student just for their background,” he said.
Minta tolong siapa2 dapat hubungi pelajar tersebut, saya nak berikan sebuah laptop baru kepada beliau.
— Steven Sim ?? #Bangsa (@scheekeong) March 30, 2022
Saya setuju dengan prof, latarbelakang keluarga tak patut halang pendidikan.
Tapi saya tak setuju cara prof menghina pelajar semata-mata kerana latarbelakang keluarganya. https://t.co/QHCARAcdMC
Higher Education Minister Datuk Noraini Ahmad said on Twitter that she had taken note of the viral issue and video, and has contacted UiTM to ask for an explanation. – The Vibes, March 30, 2022
Saya ambil maklum mengenai isu dan video yang tular ini.
— Dato Dr Noraini Ahmad (@DrNorainiAhmad) March 30, 2022
Saya telah berhubung dengan pihak @uitmofficial untuk meminta penjelasan mereka. https://t.co/kty8bc762V
