Ivory Student Leadership

Student leadership is fully functional at Ivory International Schools. Student leaders help bridge the gap between learners and staff especially when it comes to fulfilling learners’ personal needs.

Much as staff communicates to learners directly often, student leaders are also another channel of communication through which information flows from staff to pupils and from pupils to staff. These learners always know themselves more, they can detect vices before their teachers do. If there is a learner who is good at taking what does not belong to him stealthily, those other learners know him. If there is a girl in the dormitory so good at using vulgar language, those fellow girls know her. This makes learners the best tool to use to dig out such characters and eliminate vices, and also a tool to deliver mutual help to fellow pupils, especially when they are given some authority above others, they can also help to reconcile disputing parties among themselves as pupils.

At Ivory International schools, the democratically elected prefectorial body is headed by Senior Residents i.e. Senior Resident Girls and Senior Resident Boys. The dual is assisted by;

Assistant Resident Language and Discipline

Assistant Resident Health Hygiene and Sanitation

Assistant Resident Time Management

Assistant Resident Entertainment

Assistant Resident Clubs, Games and Sports

Assistant Resident Academics

Assistant Resident Welfare

Assistant Resident Religious Affairs

Assistant Resident ICT and Information

 

The senior residents together with the teacher in-charge of prefects develop a working time table for every particular academic term such that three prefects are on duty every week. These prefects while working hand-in-hand with the teachers on duty, are responsible for all the activities carried out in a week from organizing the assemblies or Monday morning. This does not that the rest of the prefects not on duty are idling – they are active in their jurisdictions.

 

How are prefects are elected?

At Ivory we have a democratic system of making sure that pupils get a free and fair election and that they hand over peacefully when their terms are done, therefore, pupils become leaders by election not appointment.

Three weeks to elections, the chairperson electoral commission announces posts for the willing pupils to apply in writing.

The second week is nominations, and eligible candidates are allowed to print posters and start campaigns.

 

Eligibility of applicants defer from post to post but generally the class of the applicant visa-vie the post is one of the biggest determinants, in addition to general conduct, discipline, activeness,  among others.

Upon completion of nominations, nominees are allowed a one week time to campaign within which one day is dedicated to open campaigning on an open platform.

 

Lining up for voting

During the day of elections, everyone is eagerly lining up towards a demarcated polling area. It is one person one ballot and a secret ballot. An inkpad is in place to prevent multiple casting of votes, and security by incumbent prefects and staff members to make sure no irregularities and malpractice.

 

At the Polling Station

After voting, candidates are gathered with a few of their supporters to witness the counting of votes. A candidate with the highest number of votes on a particular post is announced the winner on that post.

Swearing In

The newly elected perfects are sworn in on a swearing day. On this day, the new prefects make their oaths in their respective religions (Muslims hold a Quran and Christians a Bible). The outgoing prefects hand over their tags and files to the incoming prefects. The outgoing perfected are awarded with certificates as the incoming prefects receive special uniforms to make them different from the rest. All this happen under the watchful eyes of their parents who are invited to witness the handing over and swearing in of their children on this day.

After swearing in

The sworn in prefects are now fully prefects. The chair person electoral commission orients them on what they are supposed to do and what is expected of them.

Prefects must portray high level of discipline, hard work, responsibility, and honesty while executing their duties as leaders to be good examples and for the rest of the pupils to respect them. However, their leadership responsibilities are not allowed to stop them from achieving their academic goals. While in class they are studying like the rest and outside classrooms, they resume helping teachers and fellow pupils as expected.