A professor at York University in Ontario, Canada, has been dropped from the course he taught after screenshots showed him berating and threatening to fail a student earlier this week. The professor tells the student, who said that because of the military-imposed internet outage in Myanmar, they couldn’t take their mid-term exam: “The next time you miss something, it’s over.”
Screenshots from the email exchange show that the math and statistics student asked Professor Emanoil Theodorescu to postpone their mid-term exam, saying they recently discovered the military would impose another internet blackout.
“I just learned that from tomorrow all mobile data, Wi-Fi and internet services will be cut off indefinitely,” the student wrote. “That’s why there will be a total communication blackout.”
‘There is no delay. It is transferred to the final exam. Last chance, bad sign, ”Theodorescu replied according to the screenshots. “Even the internet fell out with Covid19?”
The student responded by trying to explain the situation in Myanmar, which has been rocked by protests and civil unrest since the military staged a coup in February.
“Nearly 200 protesters have been shot [until] now. The regime has decided to cut off all communications tomorrow, ‘the student said.
When the student asked if their final exam would now be 60% of their grade, Theodorescu replied “something like that.”
“Okay professor. Thank you,” said the student. So I don’t have to worry if I miss the test tomorrow?
“Of course you should,” Theodorescu replied. “The next time you miss something, it’s over.”
“Besides, your comments (both regarding this course and with your home country) made me wonder how do you understand reality,” he added. “People are not being shot for just protesting, but for much deeper reasons. And with loading everything on the final exam – it will be difficult to pass the course – for lack of practice, if nothing else.”
Screenshots of the exchange posted on Twitter on Thursday quickly sparked outrage. In a statement on Friday, York University said it is committed to ensuring ‘respect, equality, diversity and inclusion’, adding, ‘There was a recent communication between a teacher in the department of mathematics and statistics and a student who does not reflect. ”
“We want to assure all concerned that the senior faculty staff were able to interact directly with the student on the evening of the exchange with the instructor and clearly expressed their support for their difficult circumstances and well-being, and further assured them that the necessary adjustments would be granted, ” said the university.
“Alternative arrangements have been made for teaching the course,” added the university.
Theodorescu’s contact details have since been removed from the department’s faculty and faculty page. He did not return the request for comment from CBS News.
Civil unrest has consumed Myanmar after the Feb. 1 coup that led the military junta to take control of the country. Military officials said they were taking the lead as a leader Aung San Suu Kyi was elected for electoral fraud, a claim that has been widely rejected. Suu Kyi and hundreds of other politicians and allies have since been in prison.
The military has cut internet services and blocked international communication because protests have been suppressed. More than 100 people, including many young adults, students, educators and health workers, have been murdered by the military for protesting the coup.
On Friday, the United Nations accused the junta of using force to over 60 schools, and even mistreat teachers, according to The Associated Press.