By Kisuma Mapunda
Student Council pilot is among Oxfam’s Chukua Hatua projects in Governance programme aiming to enable students to participate effectively in electing their leaders.
In previous years students’ leaders were appointed by teachers based on their performance in class or good looking; cleanness and relation with other students in school. They were appointed by their teachers regardless to their acceptability by others.
Through the pilot students wish to be elected as prefects filled special forms for nominating their names for leadership position. Moreover, they conducted campaigns for them to be voted. In the rallies they promised their fellow students on what they are going to do such as how are they going to solve problems if they are elected.
“I promised them, that I will make sure teachers are following timetable effectively and also improving students’ discipline. If a teacher is late in class I report him/her to the head teacher,” explained Saidi Hamisi prefect for academics at Town primary school in Shinyanga municipal.
This whole process of campaigning and asking to be voted prepare students to be active citizens and leaders as they become adults.
This is different from what it used to be schools where teachers nominates and appoints names for students’ leadership, even when they are not accepted others.
“Giving a room for students to vote for their own leaders it simplify our responsibilities, because they help us in our day to day routine at school, thus their acceptability to their fellow students simplify our work,” narrates Town primary school teacher, Rosalia Makole.
These elections were held in February, 2011 for the first time in Shinyanga rural and municipal. One of the schools were Town primary school whereby students had to fill forms and campaigning for leaderships posts and thus were voted for the positistions they contended for.
In the last election more girls were elected as head prefects, out of ten schools eight were headed by girls. They potrayed high capacity in understanding and identify problems facing their school.
Felician John is a head prefect at Town primary school in Shinyanga municipal. She is among head girls who showed confidence and ability in solving students’ problems.
“One day a student lost a pen in his class and decided to make a search find it another they almost fight I had to intervene. The accused denied the allegations put against him, when I ask him to appologize he refused then I had to report the incidence to teacher on duty and he was punished for stealing a pen,”explained Felician.
As a girl in a society where a boy is much more respected and valued than girl what kind of challenges does she face from boys?
“One morning I was checking school environment to see if there is any student hiding around, then I saw a boy I ordered him to go to assembly, but he resisted because I was a girl, I decided to inform teacher on duty for further actions,” said Felician.
This head prefect is leading students’ council consisting of 15 prefects that lead different department such as academic, health, environment and discipline. In the past we used to have a boy as a head boy and his assistant was a head girl. This was very common in almost all schools; primary and secondary.
In the interview with Town primary school’s students’ council leaders out of 15 only one had an ambition to become a politician. We know that leadership started at primary school, why are they not interesting in politics while the chances of become head of state or minister one has to participate in politics.
Saidi Hamisi academic prefect said he doesn’t want to be a politician because politics is associated with corruption and being liar to people who voted for you. “Most of the time politicians look at their own interest and that of their families after being voted he will just be spending all his time in the cities and town you will not find him here until another election,” He added.
 |
| A student at Town Primary School in Shinyanga vote for new leaders for their council |
No comments:
Post a Comment