‘Edufluencers’ can spark interest in studying, says union

A scene from a school teacher’s TikTok video on the proper pronunciation of English words.

PETALING JAYA:

Teachers with large followings on social media, known as “edufluencers”, should not be hindered as they are capable of sparking an interest in studying among pupils, says the teachers’ union.

The National Union of the Teaching Profession said the majority of these teacher-influencers shared content that were positive in nature, such as success stories about their students or unconventional teaching techniques that other teachers could emulate.

NUTP president Aminuddin Awang added that such content could motivate other pupils in their studies.

“We cannot hinder them completely because social media is a good platform for learning. With their fresher take on learning, other teachers can emulate them to foster a greater interest in studying among their students.

“For example, there’s one English teacher in Kelantan who posts videos on the pronunciation of words. It’s so interesting, and it causes many to be interested in learning proper pronunciation.

“We are highly supportive of such positive content,” he told FMT.

However, Aminuddin maintained that educators must not exploit their students purely to gain a large following on their personal social media platforms.

“If it’s simply to gain more followers, it’s unnecessary. If it’s related to learning, and the parents of students have given their consent, there should be no issue,” he added.

On Thursday, communications minister Fahmi Fadzil said educators should not use students for social media content, especially pupils in primary schools.

Fahmi warned that irresponsible people could misuse such content for child sexual crimes, while there might be problems with safety if the faces or names of the children were displayed.

In August, the education ministry issued guidelines requiring teachers to obtain the written consent of parents or guardians to record and post images, videos or audio recordings of their children on social media.

Aminuddin advised teachers to exercise extra caution in producing social media content, to ensure that the platforms were only used for educational purposes without affecting their professionalism as educators.

“All civil servants, including teachers, are required to comply with government circulars. If anyone is found flouting these rules, action can be taken,” he said.

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‘Edufluencers’ can spark interest in studying, says union

NUTP says most 'teacher-influencers' share positive content like success stories about students, or teaching techniques other educators could emulate.