Editing Prefect (section)

==Academic==<!-- This section is linked from [[Monitor]] -->
In the context of schools, a prefect is a pupil 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 of Nations|Commonwealth]] schools (especially but not exclusively [[Private schools in the United Kingdom|private schools]]), prefects, usually students in fifth to seventh years (depending on how many years the school in question has), 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''. Larger schools may have a hierarchical structure with a team of prefects, a team of senior prefects, and a Head Boy and Girl. The Head Prefect may also be the ''[[School Captain]]'' if that is an appointed position in the school. This system is also practised in Hong Kong, a former British colony. Today, prefect roles in the U.K. are largely perfunctory and are mostly used to reward the better students in the year groups that qualify for prefect roles. Duties tend to be limited to door monitoring during [[recess (break)|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 of Nations|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.{{Citation needed|date=December 2011}}
* In [[Bangladesh]], Prefects are the leaders in [[Army of Bangladesh|Army]] based educational institutions namely [[Cadet Colleges in Bangladesh|Cadet Colleges]].
* In Mexico, Prefects (in Spanish, ''{{lang|es|prefecta/prefecto}}'') is an adult head of a grade of a school, a US equivalent would be a [[dean (education)|dean]].
* In Sweden, a prefect (''{{lang|sv|[[:sv:prefekt|prefekt]]}}'') is the head of a university department.
* In [[Jesuit]] and other Catholic schools this title was given formerly to members of the faculty, a prefect of discipline in charge of student attendance, general order and such, and a prefect of studies in charge of academic issues.

Many college preparatory boarding schools utilize the position of prefect as a high student leadership position.