A professor at York University in Ontario, Canada, has withdrawn from the course he teaches after screenshots showing him criticizing and threatening to fail a student who went viral earlier this week. The teacher is seen telling the student, who said that he could not take the mid-term exam due to the interruption imposed by the army on the internet in Myanmar, that “The next time you miss something, it’s over.”
The screenshots of the e-mail exchange show that the student asks the teacher of mathematics and statistics Emanoil Theodorescu to postpone the exam from the middle of the period, saying that they recently found out that the army will impose another blackout on the internet.
“I just found out that from tomorrow all cellular data, wifi and internet services will be interrupted indefinitely,” the student wrote. “Therefore, there will be a total interruption of communications.”
“There is no postponement. He is transferred to the final exam. Last chance, bad sign,” Theodorescu replied, according to the screenshots. “Did the internet even go down with Covid19?”
The student responded by trying to explain the situation in Myanmar, which has been shaken by protests and civil unrest since the military staged a coup in February.
“Nearly 200 protesters were shot [until] now. The regime has decided to stop all communications until tomorrow, “the student said.
When the student asked if the final exam will now be 60% of their grade, Theodorescu answered, “something like that”.
“Good teacher. Thank you,” the student said. “So I shouldn’t worry if I miss the test tomorrow?”
“Of course it should,” Theodorescu replied. “Next time you’re missing something, it’s over.”
“By the way, your remarks (both about this course and the country of origin) made me wonder how you understand reality,” he added. “People are not shot just to protest, but for much deeper reasons. And loading everything to the final exam – it will be hard to pass the course – for lack of practice, if nothing else.”
The screenshots of the exchange posted on Twitter on Thursday quickly aroused indignation. In a statement on Friday, York University said it was committed to ensuring “respect, fairness, diversity and inclusion”, adding: “There has been recent communication between an instructor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and a student who does not reflect these values. ”
“We want to assure all those interested that the senior staff of the faculty managed to make direct contact with the student on the night of the exchange with the instructor and clearly expressed their support for the difficult circumstances and their well-being and, in addition, assured them that the necessary accommodations would be granted, “the university said.
“Alternative measures have been taken to teach the course,” the university added.
Theodorescu’s contact information was then removed from the faculty and instructors’ department page. He did not return the CBS News request for comment.
Civil unrest engulfed Myanmar following the February 1 coup that resulted in the military junta taking control of the country. Military officials said they took control because the leader Aung San Suu Kyi he was elected because of electoral fraud, a widespread demand. Since then, Suu Kyi and hundreds of other politicians and allies have been in prison.
The military has reduce internet services and blocked international communications as the protests died down. More than 100 people, including many young adults, students, educators and health workers, were killed by the military to protest the coup.
On Friday, the United Nations accused the junta of using force to take over 60 schools, and even assault teachers, according to The Associated Press.