Educators must lead by example

THE reaction was explosive as soon as the video went online: A university professor had been recorded berating a student from the B40 (low income) group during an online lesson for not owning a laptop.

“The price of a laptop is only RM800. What is your problem? That’s why I can’t sit with B40 people. They’re thinking more of other matters than their lessons,” she said, among other comments captured in a 108-second clip that had been viewed over 900,000 times and shared by more than 50,000 Twitter users before it was taken down on Wednesday.

Following the storm on social media, the lecturer – who is retired and on contract at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) – was asked to go on leave starting Friday until an investigation into the incident is completed.

While many have demanded the lecturer apologise to the student, and for action to be taken against her, former students and fellow academics have defended her as a caring educator who only wants what’s best for her charges.

And then there’s the timing of the video: UiTM pointed out that the incident happened last semester so why is the video only surfacing now? There are also suggestions now that the student actually did own a laptop.

But is it really relevant when the incident occurred or whether a computer existed or who leaked the video? Are we missing the forest for the trees?

What’s important now is for us to take a long, hard look at our educators and our educational philosophies and ask ourselves, “Can we condone such behaviour and language in our classrooms?”

An older generation might perhaps be more accepting of the “tough love” method but is it an appropriate way of imparting knowledge to students these days? Especially when it borders on bullying?

Having been a teacher for so many years, the lecturer must surely be someone who is dedicated and passionate about teaching. Educating is, after all, so much more than a job – for many it is a calling.

The ends, however, should not be used to justify the means.

The psychological impact of being screamed at in front of your peers can last well into a student’s adulthood.

Surely there is a kinder, more humane way to educate and to encourage. Education should never be about intimidation and humiliation.

This isn’t about punishing one lecturer. It is about learning from this episode and making sure that we don’t see a repeat of this behaviour in any learning institution, be it a university or a school.

If we expect our graduates to be professional, ethical, respectful, dignified and empathetic, then our educators must lead by example.