Most professors, with a few exceptions, hesitate to represent a social model, show no desire for fame, and seemingly deliberately preserve their anonymity to remain in their comfort zones, avoiding interaction with the outside world. This accommodation to a state of anonymity appears to have rendered their role as noble role models in society non-existent, in contrast to the harsh models reduced solely to material dimensions.
By: Lorik Idrizi
The human universe has always needed a social construct to follow—a model or path to emulate, a resonance of success that spans the world, inspiring others to follow. In ancient times, people followed emperors and epic warriors; later, in the past centuries, great inventors became the models to follow. Throughout this period, transcending all these human models was the spirit of those who cultivated knowledge and wisdom.
In today’s era of excessive information, widespread technology use, and artificial intelligence, there is a global shift in the social model. However, in societies with deeper understandings of knowledge and social responsibility, the essence is preserved.
In the Western Balkans and North Macedonia, the opposite is often true, with few exceptions. The social model has drastically shifted and is nearly entirely dismantled. In North Macedonia, it has been reduced solely to the harsh material dimension of quick fame, often linked to corruption.
It is crucial to deconstruct this constructed social model for young people, explaining that the gloomy situations they face stem precisely from corruption and false models. This model can be countered by offering a new social model rooted in values and concrete achievements by young people. Achieving this involves explaining the roots of this destructive model within society. A critical dimension influencing this shift in the social model is the low quality of education, as evidenced by the results of the last four cycles of PISA testing.
At a conference on media literacy and education organized by the U.S. State Department in collaboration with the “DCN” organization, during a meeting with Finnish professor Tapio Varis, a media and education expert, we learned from discussions with fellow participants that the professor was not only a “star” of elite intellectual conferences and academic panels but also a “superstar” competing with sports and music stars across Europe—something unheard of here. Here, most professors, with a few exceptions, hesitate to represent a social model, show no desire for fame, and deliberately preserve their anonymity, zealously guarding their comfort zones to avoid interaction with the outside world. This apathy toward remaining anonymous seems to have rendered their role as noble societal models invisible.
The role of professors and the reflection of this model in our society has significantly diminished, even from a conventional perspective, but especially in the current context. A social model, besides its values, must also incorporate other dimensions to combat the opposing societal model, which lacks values and is reduced to harsh material aspects.
Considering these circumstances, it becomes clear that the flawed social model has found a ready space to dominate. This would not be the case if this space were more competitive, driven by a more vocal academic world with greater interaction with the outside world, offering young people, alongside dignity and social legitimacy, models that also align with their economic ambitions.
In this context, achieving synergy between deconstructing the flawed social model and offering a values-based model is crucial—one that is also attractive to young people. We cannot perpetually judge students and young people for adopting the wrong social model without providing them with a “cool” model that embodies value and aligns with their economic ambitions. Young people always seek, alongside values, to be successful and engaged in work that brings financial benefits while maintaining dignity and values.