UADY professor accused of treating religious topics during Maya Culture class

Mérida, Yucatàn, (May 26, 2021).- Through a statement on their social networks, ‘UADY without Harassment‘, a group of students who fight to make visible, prevent and eradicate sexual violence and discrimination, shared their position on the case of a professor who teaches Maya Culture class at the Faculty of Economics of the Autonomous University of Yucatán (UADY).

On May 25, Valente Saavedra, a student of this institution, published on her social networks fragments of the readings on the subject, in which the following exercise is read: “From what perspective does Creation in six days makes more sense and is it superior to the theory of evolution?

It is not right that a UADY teacher is using his position of authority to make us read the Bible. This class has been a joke from the start, beginning by denying basic science with questions like “From what perspective does creation in six days make the most sense and is superior to the theory of evolution?” to entire exams where we are made to read and interpret Bible verses. It is not okay for a question that your rating depends on is “Read Genesis 2: 1-4 and answer the following question”, it is not okay to ask me “What does Genesis teach about good and pain?” and, in general, it is not right that the Maya culture class seems more catechism than anything else.

Valente Saavedra Fernandez

So far, the publication adds 161 comments and has been shared 584 times. Students and outsiders pointed out that this kind of practice is unconstitutional because the university must be free and secular.

‘Uady without Harassment’ asks for dismissal

The group UADY without Harassment resumed the publication and assured that this is the second complaint against the same professor, identified as David de Jesús Santoyo Manzanilla  “for his unethical practices as a teacher, by violating Article 3 of the Constitution, which in the meantime, indicates that the education will be secular and will remain alien to any religious doctrine, ” the group shared in a statement.

Likewise, the group detailed that in 2019 they issued the first complaint against the teacher, which reached CODHEY (Yucatan State Human Rights Commission) for, having attacked a student of the Jewish religion, expressing his hatred towards his religion.

They assured that an agreement was reached with a representative of the University, that the teaching work would not be involved again with religion, or otherwise, the teacher would be dismissed.

Uady without Harassment emphasized that the teacher was singled out for sexual harassment on the clotheslines that were placed in 2020.

Finally, the group asked the university to comply with the agreed agreement: “for the violation of our rights as students to have a universal, inclusive, public, secular and free education.”