KUALA LUMPUR: An allegation by a Universiti Malaya (UM) student that a lecturer had made racist remarks at her has created a public uproar.
Deputy Education Minister Datuk P. Kamalanathan said the university had formed a five-member panel to investigate the allegation.
In his Facebook posting, Kamalana-than said the panel would meet all parties and witnesses of the alleged incident.
“I take a serious view of the allegation by a student that a professor-cum-lecturer at UM was disrespectful and prejudicial to some students.
“I immediately called the honourable Vice-Chancellor Tan Sri Professor Dr Mohd Amin Jalalu-din to seek clarification on the allegation.
“He was aware of the allegation and assured me that the university will not condone such behaviour from any staff member of the university,” he said, adding that the university would issue a public statement after a complete investigation.
“The vice-chancellor is committed to get to the bottom of this allegation and has assured me that, if found guilty, action will be taken against the lecturer or anyone else found guilty of tarnishing the good name of the university,” said Kamalanathan.
On Tuesday, the student wrote an online piece, “Voice of an Indian student”, and related the bad experience during one of her post-graduate classes.
“As we (the affected student and her friend) were about to sit, she (the lecturer) abruptly said: ‘I don’t like Indians (students) sitting together. Do not bring the Unitar culture here. When Indians sit together, you will copy and plagiarise assignments. I know Indians well’ and subsequently told us to change places.”
Netizens, who were enraged by the lecturer’s remarks, supported the student.
“She did what an educator should never do to her students and that is to crush the dreams and hopes of their future,” said Facebook user Chris Too.