THE PREFECTS SYSTEM IN SAMMO SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
The participation of students in running the daily activities of the school is deeply rooted in SammoSHS history. Indeed, most of the buildings in the OLD & NEW SITES were the result of the labour of pioneering students who were deeply involved in the regimented functions of a hostel/boarding school. At Sammo SHS, students are involved in maintaining and enforcing disciplinary codes relating to boarding/hostel life. Upper class/Final year students are elected to prefectorial positions. The entire student body is eligible to vote on prefectorial nominees. Some prefectorial positions such as House Prefects are made by appointment. Hence, every year, a body of prefects is elected to help with the running of the school. Each prefect is assigned specific responsibilities which she/he is expected to discharge to the best of his/her ability. This gives the necessary leadership training for the student. The prefects are assisted by a number of monitors. The various dormitories are administered by the individual Housemaster and/or Housemistresses, who are usually resident staff members.
The prefects’ body of the School is made up of school and house prefects. School prefects are responsible for their area of designation throughout the school whiles house prefects are responsible for their respective dormitories.
Below are the typical responsibilities (but not an exhaustive list) of the various designations in the school:
THE HEAD PREFECT
The head prefect is the head of the entire prefect body and the mouthpiece of students to the administration and staff. The position of the head prefect is one that is voted for by the students, but it is based on nomination from a short list of possible candidates by staff members after which vetting is held before the final green light is given for that individual to run for the office of Head Prefect. The head prefect may be a boy or girl depending on the votes. Any boy or girl who wins majority of the votes becomes the Head prefect, who will be assisted by TWO DEPUTIES. He/she also automatically becomes the president of the SAMMO STUDENTS’ REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL (SSRC). The head prefect serves as the primary communication instrument between staff and students. The head prefect must exhibit the qualities of a strong academician, humility, ability to exercise power and control with fact and represent the student body adequately.
THE DEPUTY HEAD PREFECTS
The head prefect (who may be a boy or girl) will normally be assisted to do his/her work with a close relationship with the two deputies who must be a boy and a girl.
THE PROTOCOL PREFECT
The protocol prefects handle the responsibilities of coordinating all internal and external activities of clubs and societies in the school. He/she is responsible for ensuring that the right permissions and adequate preparation for any activities organized by any club is done in a proper and acceptable way. The protocol prefect is also responsible for picking up parcels from the school gate to the rightful owners and also responsible for receiving visitors especially on Visiting Days of parents/guardians of students.
COMPOUND PREFECTS
The compound prefects are responsible for general hygiene and cleanliness on campus. They are responsible for making arrangements with senior boys on duty to ensure that all “picking” and “sweeping” arrangements to be carried out by junior students are properly arranged both at the academic and the domestic sites. They ensure that the streets to the masters’ bungalows and flats are well programmed and are put into order. The compound prefects are also to ensure that Saturday morning inspections are carried out regularly and marks awarded appropriately for every house/dormitory. Marks awarded during inspections are compiled and collated in a league table to compete for the cleanest dormitory in the course of every term.
HOUSE PREFECTS
House prefects are generally responsible for maintaining appropriate and acceptable students behavior in their respective houses and dormitories, ensuring strict adherence to school rules, maintaining good sanitation and the good running of their designated dormitories. They work in conjunction with their respective house masters/mistresses.
HEALTH PREFECTS
Health prefects are also responsible to take care of the students who are sick at the infirmary/Dispensary Room (Sick Bay). They arrange and/or coordinate with the School’s RED CROSS SOCIETY to dispense first-aid to students on basic sicknesses, if there is the need to see the school doctor or nurse, they make the necessary arrangements.
CHAPEL PREFECTS
The two chapel Prefects are responsible for every religious activities that will be carried out in the school. They see to it that activities on Sunday morning & night services are well organized and they take charge of Sunday service (preaching) whenever the Chaplain or any invited guest is not available. They also organize the junior boys & girls for any necessary arrangement for Sunday evening-service at the school’s assembly hall.
ENTERTAINMENT PREFECTS
The Entertainment prefects are responsible for every entertainment programme that takes place in the school. They organize the Time Schedule for the Term’s entertainment programmes in conjunction with the entertainment master & entertainment committee. They thus organize shows where students bring out their best talents through singing, raping, dancing, drama/stage plays and more activities. They also organize educational as well as sensitization programmes and film show to students to enable them to have fun and to reduce everyday stress of the students.
DINING HALL PREFECTS
The dining hall prefects are responsible for general hygiene and cleanliness at the dining hall. The prefects help the running of the school canteen and make sure that every student in the dining hall has something to fill his/her belly. They also organize a cleanup exercise at the dining hall to ensure that the place is well cleaned and with good atmosphere to promote good health for the students. When students are going for an excursion or other field trips, the Dining hall prefects ensure that special meals are prepared for such trips.
LIBRARY PREFECTS
The Library prefects’ duties are to ensure that the library is always open on time and well cleaned. They also ensure that the books in the library are in good shape and order. They play a role that every book borrowed from the library is brought back and records are kept.
SPORTS PREFECTS
The Sport prefects are responsible for every sporting activity that takes place in the school. They sometimes organize gala-competition among the houses or classes in the school. They take serious participation during the school inter-houses and inter-schools competitions.
During their term of office they are able to achieve so much in terms of maintaining good sanitation and a clean environment congenial enough for academic works in the school.