KUALA LUMPUR – Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) today said it has taken “prompt and appropriate” action against a professor who was depicted in a viral video berating a student for being unable to afford a laptop.
UiTM vice-chancellor Datuk Roziah Mohd Janor said that the university has investigated the matter, and stressed that they always place a premium on the welfare and needs of its students.
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“UiTM will not compromise with any parties that attempt to bring down the good name of the university, whether intentionally or not,” Roziah said, adding that UiTM was created to provide educational opportunities to underprivileged communities.
Roziah said the university provides various funds offering financial support for students, and urged those facing problems to contact university and faculty staff for advice and assistance.
In a separate video posted on UiTM’s official TikTok account, Roziah said the viral video was a recording of a class from the previous semester and not a recent incident.
@uitm_channel Kenyataan Naib Canselor berkenaan Isu Pelajar B40
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The professor involved was a contract lecturer and not a full-time staff member, Roziah said, adding that the incident had taken place in UiTM Seri Iskandar, Perak.
“There must be a reason why the video was only uploaded yesterday,” she said without elaborating.
In the leaked video, which had gone viral overnight, a professor is heard berating a student for attending her online class using his phone, saying the student should already own a computer as he was already in his fifth semester.
The professor went on to suggest that the student – who had earlier explained that his mother had died and father was jobless – ask his sister to sell off her gold bracelet to purchase a computer.
“The price of a computer is only RM800, what's your problem? That’s why I can’t sit with B40 people, these people only think more about other things than education,” the professor said in the video, referring to people in the lowest wage categories.
The video, which racked up over 900,000 views and 50,000 shares, was posted on Twitter late last night on an account that has since been deleted.
A lesson for all educators
Meanwhile, Demokrat Universiti Malaya, a student body, said that the incident should be taken as a lesson for all stakeholders, especially educators, to impart knowledge to students in a dignified manner.
“The nature of empathy needs to be inculcated and joint initiatives need to be taken in addressing the issue of poverty among students,” it said in a statement.
“When choosing an approach to address the realities of poverty among students, an educator should be rational and especially empathetic instead of punishing arrogantly.
“The inability to purchase a device should not be the reason a student’s dignity is trampled on and humiliated in such an explicit way,” the student group added. – The Vibes, March 30, 2022
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