THE PREFECT SYSTEM

by Goolbai Gunasekara

Several schools have been negatively highlighted of late thanks to the reprehensible goings on of certain groups of Prefects. I must really wonder if this system, inherited from the British, has run its course and is no longer relevant as far as school organizations in Sri Lanka are concerned. I remember, many years ago, that when Dr. Rajiva Wijesinha was briefly the Sub Warden of St Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia, he advocated totally restructuring the Prefects system – or at least limiting their Powers to some extent. In hindsight he was right!

As a former Principal of an International School I continued with this Prefect system, albeit a trifle reluctantly because I have an inherent dislike of allowing students to have ‘power’ over other students, especially when teenagers are certainly not pillars of rectitude much of the time. How does this Prefect system work? Generally, it operates thus: –

Girls and boys who enter the top grades of a school are awarded with Prefect-ship if they fulfill certain criteria. Those who display a sense of responsibility, sportsman-like attitudes, are good in academics, are on school games teams, have contributed in some way to the good name of the school etc. are considered worthy of consideration for nomination to this high office.

It is an honour which is mightily striven for. Parents get into the act and begin pressuring Staff and Principal alike in all sorts of subtle (and not so subtle) ways for a few months before the choices are made. The competition amongst parents is horrendous.

Principals and Staff try to be unbiased but there are many who are very disappointed once the Prefect list for the year is made known. I have spent long hours explaining to parents why their child did not make Prefect-ship. I have to confess, however, that many who were left out deserved to have been included —but places are limited. One can hardly have an unwieldy Prefect body.

I feel the end has come for the Prefect system since more and more of them are being given authority they have no idea how to deal with. To empower young people may be a good idea but they need training and pastoral guidance in Prefect-ship. (By this I mean parenting by mature teachers.)

Earlier schools were small. My own school population at Bishop’s was around 500 or so I think. Prefects were much admired but they were certainly not allowed to hand out punishments or pull us up in any way except verbally and for slight misdemeanours. Not being on time for Netball practice with the important House Matches looming up agitated my House Prefect no end.

“If you cannot be on time, I will drop you from the House Team,” my Captain Nimal Peiris (now Nimal de Livera) would threaten. I would mention here that she had no authority to drop me from the School Team even if she had wanted to. That kind of power was never hers.

Talking during Assembly earned a “Hush up” from the Prefect in charge of the class. Perhaps they regarded our untidy hair or crushed uniform with jaundiced eyes and told us so. But their ‘Rights” were minimal. Prefects had their own room, but they interfered very little in school affairs other than keeping order and organizing the activities of the Houses. Teachers did not shift any of their own duties on to Prefects.

Today I have been hearing of certain schools where Prefects actually enter classrooms (with a teacher inside taking a lesson) and haul students out in order to punish them. Punishments have bordered on sadism. Kneeling in the sun on the sand being one of them I was told. One wonders why such behaviour was tolerated. Apparently when parents did complain about Prefects behaviour, they were told by the powers that be, “It is tradition” The same system has continued “to corrupt the world.” (a la Tennyson) or in this case the school concerned.

One hears, via the grape vine, that in certain girls’ schools students have been driven to suicide through fear of a powerful and thoroughly narrow-minded Prefect body. I hasten to say that this is just hearsay but it does give one an idea of the extent to which Prefects can carry their control. While leadership qualities must be taught to students I do not think that singling out a few special cases and allowing them all sorts of powers is doing this. Prefects should be told that they have ‘Duties’ before ‘Rights.’ Arrogance must be quenched from the start.

During my own Principal-ship of Asian International School I tried to limit the Prefect- ship and made a start with the Junior Prefect body. I wrote to all parents in the Junior School asking if they would prefer that AIS abolishes the system. Ninety percent voted to keep it.

The Prefect system in Sri Lanka has outlived its usefulness. In Europe and the USA the custom is unknown. Unless Prefects can be prevented from getting inflated ideas of their own importance, schools should think long and hard about the advantages of either totally abolishing the system or completely overhauling it.

An unpopular idea no doubt.

(Excerpted from The ‘Principal’ Factor’ first published by Lanka Market Digest)