what is a prefect

A prefect is a person appointed to a position of command, authority, or superintendence, such as a chief magistrate in ancient Rome or the chief administrative officer of a department in modern times. In the context of schools, a prefect is a student who has been given certain responsibilities in the school, similar to the responsibilities given to a hall monitor or safety patrol members. In some British, Irish, and Commonwealth schools, prefects, usually students in fifth to seventh years, have considerable power. They were once allowed to administer school corporal punishment in some schools (now abolished in the UK and several other countries). They usually answer to a senior prefect known as the Head of School or Head Prefect or Head Boy or Head Girl or Senior Prefect. Duties tend to be limited to door monitoring during break and representing the school at various extra-curricular events. In India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Malaysia, prefects are student leaders in primary and secondary schools, often along the lines of other Commonwealth schools, but with superior powers. The prefect systems in these countries have changed little from when they were under the British, as the present governments have seen them as effective. In Bangladesh, prefects are the leaders in Army-based educational institutions, namely Cadet Colleges.