Prefect Participation in School Governance in Selected Secondary Schools in Bo City

This is a study on prefect Participation in the Governance of Selected Secondary Schools in Bo city, southern province of Sierra Leone. Of specific interest is the prefectoral system and the extent to which it makes use of the potential and capacity of pupils to contribute positively to the effective governance of a school, that is, to play leadership roles and take decisions as part of a team, in the running of the school. For this study, a primarily qualitative and descriptive study design was adopted. Data for the study was collected from 3 types of schools – single – sex boy's, single – sex girls' and co-educational. Junior as well as senior secondary schools, private as well as government and government – assisted, Muslim as well as Christian schools, were sampled. Data collection was carried out using well-structured questionnaires and limited interviews. A total of 200 questionnaires were administered. 100 were administered to prefects and 100 to teachers. Analysis of the data was employed using tabulations and frequency counts for each response category. Tables of responses were prepared and their content analyzed and discussed. Findings obtained indicated that the prefectorial system in operation in Sierra Leone is part of our colonial heritage and has outlived its usefulness. It therefore needs to be modified to reflect present day realities especially as the involvement of pupils/ prefects in the selection procedure for prefects is limited and in the majority of cases, non-existent. One clear suggestion coming from the responses to various objectives in the study is that more democracy should occur, that is, a greater involvement of pupils in school governance must be maintained. The study recommends that this greater involvement should be making prefects and involving them in policy formulation and decision making. Without this recommended change, the prefectural system presently operating in Sierra Leone will drift to extinction.