Regarding the issue of influencers being invited to a school program, there are few points we might mislook here. One thing we should acknowledge is that a school is not just any 'event' venue, it’s a value shaping compound. I believe in this stance, and you will become clear once you finished reading this.
As for me, success alone doesn’t automatically make someone a suitable role model. Regardless of having degree or not, this part is particularly important. Yes, it’s definitely true that not everyone needs a degree to succeed, but if this narrative “takde degree pun boleh berjaya” is repeated without nuance, delivered by someone who profits from virality, not academic discipline and presented in a school context, it can unintentionally undermine the culture of learning. For me, education is not just about being rich, education is not to create a competition on who can contribute more to this school and that, but education is to shape our moral judgement, critical thinking, and to form our jati diri, discipline and empathy. And schools should protect that message, not dilute it. Schools are institutions, not personal brands. The responsibility of a school diverse to students, parents and society.
I’m not here being an “anti-influencer”, and honestly I don’t think influencers should be totally banned from schools. There are many influencers out there I admire and learn from. But, schools should consider to invite influencers who model respectful communication and moral values. I speak from a “pro-education” viewpoint. I may not be a high educated person, but I always believe that education can form us better as human beings.
I know, some people might come at me, rebutting that there are tons of people out there, committing crime while having degree/ PhD and so on. But, the message I’m trying to deliver here is totally different. I’m not saying that education will make us more superior than others, or having a degree will guarantee good behaviour, and I’m not promoting that people without degree are less valuable. Because education doesn’t make someone immune to any wrongdoing. Education is to form our moral, not act as our moral shield.
Coming at me with this counter argument is like saying,
“Some teachers are bad, so education doesn’t matter”, or
“Some lawyers abuse the law, so the legal system doesn’t matter.”
The key point here is we don’t throw away institutions because some individuals fail. This isn’t about degrees versus no degrees. It’s about context, influence, and responsibility in schools.
I personally doesn’t follow this issue very closely, hence what I’m sharing here is not directed towards any particular individual. I am simply expressing my general viewpoint.
